


Potato Sack

by Ficsandmusings



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Canon Compliant, Complicated Relationships, Daddy Issues, Father-Son Relationship, Gap Filler, Gen, Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4805681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ficsandmusings/pseuds/Ficsandmusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A snapshot into Bumi II's life at age 20, as he struggles to figure out his identity and place in the world.</p><p>Complicated familial dynamics abound.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Nonbender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bumi has an accident and needs his siblings' help.
> 
> Content warnings for this chapter:  
> -Blood  
> -Drug use (cactus juice)
> 
> Original characters:  
> -Skipper: Bumi's best friend and apartment-mate  
> -Chugs: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Gor: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Seppa: a 17-year old air acolyte living at Air Temple Island

Bumi was bleeding. Or rather, he thought he was. His hand was certainly covered in a red, sticky liquid, but somehow he couldn't connect that to the sharp throbbing in his head. He began to giggle uncontrollably. "Well," he said, turning back towards his friends, "that one was quite the show."

Skipper began to laugh. "Just for us. It didn't even go twenty feet." He was on his back, his hands clasped behind his head.

"Bumi," Chugs said, "that's blood." His voice was thick.

"Thought so!"

Skipper sat up at that. "Woah. I'm not setting off the next one then."

Gor clutched his stomach. "That looks serious, man."  
  
Bumi waved a hand. "It's a scratch," he said.  
  
"It's dripping down your face," Gor insisted. He began to breathe loudly.  
  
Skipper grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You're fine, you're fine."  
  
_Leave it to Gor to ruin a good night_ , thought Bumi. "Just forget about it." He tore at the bottom of his tunic, until a sizable piece of fabric came off. The rip exposed his tank top beneath, but it was hardly cold. Bumi wrapped the torn cloth around his head, and tied it in a knot. "Good as new! Come on, let's set off a blue one next."  
  
"It's not going to stop bleeding," Gor said, looking pale. "I need water, I'm going to faint."  
  
Chugs frowned. "No you won't. It's just the juice." He turned towards Bumi. "He's probably right though."  
  
"You don't want to see a blue one?" Bumi folded his arms. _Why can’t they just leave me alone?_  
  
"Forget about the damned fireworks," Chugs answered. He was sobering up, Bumi could tell. "We have to get you to a healer."  
  
"No healer!" Bumi said, stubbornly.  
  
Skipper was rising to his feet now. He nearly fell over but steadied himself against the wall of the museum. High above them, Aang’s statue stood, illuminated. "Yeah, let's just head back to campus."  
  
Chugs rolled his eyes. "Come on, man, that's not going to fix itself. The hospital is right on the bay; we could be there in no time."  
  
Skipper grabbed his shoulder. "And when we show up in a stolen boat and they find out he's got cactus juice in him? We're going to get kicked out of school!"  
  
"Your mother!" Gor shouted at Bumi, suddenly. "Isn't she a healer?"  
  
"Leave my mother out of it."  
  
"If the mother finds out, so does the father," Skipper said. "And leave it to Avatar Aang to go to the administrators anyway. We’d all get busted.”  
  
Bumi suddenly started giggling, pointing up towards the statue. "But Dad already knows!" Only Skipper laughed with him.  
  
“Is that a boat?” Gor asked in a panicked voice. The three other boys turned to where he was pointing on the bay. A small boat with a white sail was only a few hundred feet away. It was too dark to make out its name. “Is it the police?” Gor said. “The island closes at sunset.”

Skipper clapped a hand over his mouth. “Then best if they don’t know we’re here,” he said harshly, in a whisper. "Sound travels over water."

For a few tense moments, nobody spoke or moved. Yet the boat sailed past, without altering its course.

Bumi let out a sigh. “Maybe it’s a good thing that last firework didn’t go so high.”

Skipper laughed. “It went into your _face_.”

“Can we please find _someone_ to look at that?” Gor asked.

"Yeah,” Chugs agreed. “Are there any White Lotus that could fix you up? We can't have you bleeding all over our apartment.”

"Kya!" Bumi suddenly shouted.

"Your sister?" Gor asked, sounding notably relieved at the notion of a plan.

"Nice," Skipper said. "Wouldn't mind seeing her again."

Bumi was on him in the blink of an eye. "That's my sister," he snapped, wrapping a hand around his throat. "And she's fifteen. Just try saying something like that again!"

“Get off me, man. It was a joke.” Skipper grabbed at Bumi’s wrist. Suddenly, the ground seemed to move. Bumi let go, turned, and wretched.

"Get him into the boat," Chugs said, sounding exasperated. "Let's take him to his sister."

"I can't sail yet!" Gor said, but Skipper silenced him with a look.

The ride from Aang Memorial Island to Air Temple Island was fairly short, but by the time they approached its shores, Bumi's wound had soaked through the strip of fabric. He pulled off what remained of his tunic and wrapped the entire shirt around his head. "Lower the sail," he said, feeling light-headed. "And we can’t dock. An acolyte or White Lotus guard will see and get my parents."

"Well how are we supposed to get you in then?" Skipper asked, arms folded.

"Steer around to the backside. I can climb up the rocks."

"With half your brains hanging out?" Chugs asked, skeptically.

"I've done it before!" Bumi insisted.

Gor and Chugs worked to drop the sail, while Skipper reached down for the oars. He handed one to Bumi. “Seriously, you sure about this, man?” he asked, dropping his voice so the other two couldn’t hear. “We could just go back to the apartment, sleep it off, and if it’s bad in the morning, I’ll go down to the hospital and try and to sweet-talk one of the healers into helping.”

“We’re already here,” Bumi said, his dizziness increasing. “Though I might need some after-care if you want to sweet-talk a healer anyway.” That brought a smile back to his friend’s face. He and Skipper were of a kind; if it had been up to the two of them, they would still be on the Memorial Island, giving their friends back downtown the firework show they had promised.

When Chug and Gor turned their attention back, Bumi handed over his oar and climbed onto the bow, where he stayed crouching. He directed them around the island, to a small patch of sand. "You’re going to climb _that?"_  Chugs asked, horrified. 

"I can do this," Bumi said confidently. He tried to make his way out of the boat with as much dignity as possible, but as he stood, the world began to swim again. _It's just the cactus juice_ , he told himself, moving towards the edge. He jumped off, knowing his friends would have found it suspicious if he did otherwise. Somehow, he landed on his feet. "I've got it! Get on back, I'll take a bison in the morning."

Chugs looked like he wanted to protest, but Skipper clapped him on the back. "You heard the man! We still might be able to make Yora's party!" He and Gor began to row, this time, turning the boat away from the shore.  
  
"See ya!" Chugs called, once they were thirty feet out.  Gor and Skipper were too busy bringing the sail back up to say anything, or even glance back. Before long, they had vanished from Bumi’s sight.

He took a breath and turned towards the rocks. "Okay Bumi, you've got this," he told himself. It was hardly the first time he had snuck onto Air Temple Island—it was hardly the first time he snuck onto the island with cactus juice in him—but somehow climbing up proved harder than he remembered. He must have forgotten his usual path, because he slipped three times. The third had been the worst; he had made it nearly to the top by then, and had it not been for a nearby tree root jutting out, he might have fallen to the shore below. He never screamed out though...he knew better than that.

When Bumi reached the top, he could feel himself sweating, but when he went to wipe it away, his hand only found blood. His soaked tunic was keeping some of it at bay, he figured, but perhaps the cut was deeper than he initially thought.

He made his way through the trees along a familiar path, until he found himself behind the boys’ dormitories. Sneaking to the girls’ side was something he also excelled out, but the sound of footsteps made him freeze. "Guards!" he whispered. He felt as though he might wretch again, but shook his head. He would not let himself be found bleeding and vomiting behind a building. Instead, he made his way to the third window, wrenched it open, and threw himself inside.

He landed with a thud, waking the boy in the bed. "...wha?" Tenzin sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  
  
"Hey Bro!"

"Bumi?" Tenzin swung his legs out of his bed. Suddenly his eyes grew wide. "What happened?!"

"Keep your voice down," Bumi cautioned, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Just a little accident."

"It looks serious..." Tenzin walked to where Bumi was on the floor, but made no move to touch him. Even in the moonlight, it was clear his face had paled.

Bumi didn't dare rise, in case his gag reflex returned. Instead he tried to give his brother a comforting smile. "Really, it's nothing," he said waving his hand. "But if you could do me a favor and go get Kya?"

"We should get Mom."

It was exactly what Bumi knew Tenzin would say. "That would just worry her. Come on, Kya's a great healer."  
  
"Mom's better. Bumi there's so much blood. What happened?"

"A firework," he said simply, trying not to be annoyed. "Tenzin, come on. You know what will happen if you get Mom. She and Dad will both come, and before long they're going to be talking about sticking me in acolyte training again."

Tenzin set his jaw. "That would be an honor."  
  
"Because studying zoology is so shameful?" Bumi snapped. He was in no mood for this, not from his eleven-year-old brother. "Look, just go get Kya. I'd do it for you."  
  
"How am I supposed to do that? The guards will see me! I can just go get—”

Bumi reached up and grabbed Tenzin's shirt where it hung loosely around his chest. He pulled his brother closer. "Use your little airbender skills and float over there. Or does Aunt Toph call Dad 'Twinkle Toes' for nothing?" He saw tears forming in his brother's eyes. _He's just a kid_. Bumi let go. "I'm sorry. Come on, I didn't mean it. Just please get her? I know you can do it."  
  
Tenzin still looked like he might cry, but he nodded all the same. He started towards the door. "No no," Bumi called from the ground, "go out the window. Sneak behind the buildings, okay?"  
  
Tenzin hesitated. "Bumi, what if Kya can't heal you? You don't think it would be better if I—”  
  
"Tenzin, please?" He felt absurd begging his brother who was nearly a decade younger and still half a child. But the throbbing in his head was getting harder and harder to ignore.  
  
"Okay, okay. Just—don’t move. I'll be back soon." With that, Tenzin crossed the room and peered out the window. After a moment, he pulled his head back in and climbed up onto the sill. He was gone in the blink of an eye; Bumi never heard him land. _Maybe he'll be able to do this after all_.  
  
Yet Bumi knew his brother was not one to sneak around the grounds. More likely than not, Tenzin would run smack into a White Lotus guard and tell them the entire story without even being asked a question. "If that happens, they'll go wake Dad," Bumi said to himself, feeling panicked. He might be able to fake sobriety, but what would he tell him about his injury? And even if he could fool the Avatar, Katara would surely see through any lie.  
  
_I have to hide! Just in case he gets caught_ , Bumi realized. He looked around the room wildly. The closet looked like it would be too shallow, so instead he dragged himself towards the bed. He had hidden himself under plenty of beds in the girl's dormitory before, but Tenzin's seemed to be lower to the ground. He only managed to get halfway underneath. "They'll see my legs," he whispered. "Can't have that." He tried to curl them under himself, but it was no use; they were sticking out. Bumi reached up and undid the knot in his tunic, which was still on his head. It was wet and sticky with blood. He managed to wriggle his hands out from under the bed, and positioned the tunic over his legs the best he could. He couldn't tell if his boots were sticking out, but if Tenzin had any sense, he could just pretend they were his shoes.  
  
Without the fabric, blood began to run freely down his face, stinging his eyes. A chill swept over him, but he knew he had to lie still if he was going to fool anyone. His vision was blurry, with imprints of fireworks swimming before him.

He could not have said how long he stayed like that, but finally he heard the door slide open. Footsteps approached. “These are Tenzin’s boots!” he shouted. It was better to head them off before they grew suspicious.

Someone gasped. "Bumi?!" The voice belonged to Kya. He began to laugh in relief.

He felt the tunic being lifted off him, and a hand was suddenly on his calf. "Get out from there," she said urgently. "Tenzin, you didn't tell me it was this bad!"  
  
Bumi wormed his way out again, rolling over to look at his sister. Through the red haze, he could make her out. "Hey there, sis!" He grinned. He tried to push himself up, but the strength had left his arms.  
  
Kya's face was a mask of pure horror. "Help me get him onto the bed," she said to Tenzin. When she turned, Bumi could see a waterskin draped over her back.  
  
"That will get blood all over my sheets!"  
  
"I can take care of that, just help me," she insisted. She bent down and grabbed behind one of Bumi's shoulders. Tenzin did the same on the other side; when he pushed off the ground, Bumi could feel a rush of air. Before he knew it, he was sitting back against Tenzin's pillow. Kya lifted the bedsheet to his face to wipe away the blood as best she could. "Tenzin, get me a bucket."  
  
"But we almost got caught!" he protested.  
  
"Does this look like a small scratch to you? There's one next door in Dad's study."  
  
Tenzin frowned. "That's Mom's...it's full of water!"  
  
"We'll be needing it. Just _go_ ," she said urgently. Their brother frowned, but headed towards the door without another word. No sooner had he left the room than Kya turned back. "What happened to you? How did you even get here?" She stopped mopping his head with the sheet to peer closely at the gash. Looking at the blood stains made Bumi feel sick.  
  
He tried to distract himself. "Hey Kya. Did you see Tenzin's five o'clock shadow? We can just tell Mom and Dad I cut myself shaving, trying to be like him," he chortled. "They'd weep with joy, you know."  
  
She pulled away from him, staring. "What are you on?" she asked, no trace of humor in her voice.  
  
"Oh come on. Don't be like Mom."  
  
"Bumi, I don't care what you—” She was interrupted by the door sliding open. Tenzin came back in, doing his best not to spill the bucket as he walked. "Whatever, just drink this," she said, handing her skin towards Bumi. The water tasted almost sweet to him.  
  
Tenzin set the bucket down by the bed, and Kya immediately bent its contents around her hands, causing the water to glow bright blue. When she placed them on Bumi's head, he felt a cool, soothing sensation.  
  
It was only then that Bumi realized just how dizzy he was. Everything seemed to be darkening. He closed his eyes. "Why's he laughing?" Tenzin's worried voice sounded. It was the last thing Bumi remembered hearing.

The next thing he knew, sunlight was streaming into the room. Bumi sat up slowly, his head pounding. He smelled blood, though the sheets on top of him were clean. There was no sign of Tenzin or Kya. Judging by the light outside, he had slept through most of the morning. Bumi pulled off the covers and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He felt weaker than he could ever remember.

“Well, I’ve definitely missed 'Intro to Vertebrate Chakras,'” Bumi said to himself. “But I can probably catch physiology.” His voice was hoarse, and sounded almost foreign to him. He contemplated the floor in front of him, wondering what would happen if he tried to stand. It was something he would never find out; his legs and arms felt like tapioca pudding, and he couldn’t seem to remember what muscles to use. Instead, Bumi leaned forward and let himself unceremoniously tumble onto the ground. He half-crawled, half-dragged himself in the direction of the door.

A warm breeze was blowing in from the window, Bumi could tell, yet he felt oddly chilly. It was then that he remembered his missing tunic. “I’ll have to borrow one of Tenzin’s shirts,” he mumbled. He changed the direction of his laborious movements and inched towards the dresser. When he finally reached it, Bumi forced himself to sit up on his knees. The world was spinning and funny green dots were clouding his vision. He slid the bottom drawer open, though no sooner did he peer inside than a wave of nausea took hold. Before he could stop himself, Bumi wretched on top of Tenzin’s folded pants. That was when Bumi heard the footsteps.

Instinctively, he slammed the drawer shut. The effort caused him to collapse back onto the floor, where he curled into a fetal position. He was soaked in sweat, though whether from vomiting or the fear of being discovered by his parents, he could not have said.

It was Kya who slid the door open, two waterskins draped over her back this time. She glanced down at Bumi on the ground and arched an eyebrow. “Oh good, you’re up. And alive.” As she moved into the room, she was followed by an Air Acolyte Bumi recognized as Seppa, whose arms were full of folded clothing.

Seppa was fairly new, only having come to Air Temple Island a year prior. Yet she had already made the habit of avoiding Bumi when possible, likely in response to his failed attempts at dating her. It had only taken him three months to give up trying, after Skipper convinced him that anyone who had decided at age sixteen that she wanted to live as a monk was probably not someone worth courting. Even still, it was hardly comfortable to have her see him like this. “Why did you bring someone else?” Bumi mumbled, unable to pick his head up.

“Because I can’t clean your mess alone,” Kya said, in an exasperated tone, though when she bent down to help Bumi, her touch was surprisingly gentle. She eased him into a sitting position, keeping a hand on his back, and gave him one of her skins of water. “Drink. I smuggled you some bread too, but you’re going to need the water more.” Bumi obeyed, careful to take only small sips.

As he drank, Kya bent the contents of her other waterskin around her hand and placed it at the base of his neck. The sudden relief from the headache almost caused him to collapse back to the floor.

“Kya, this is a _mess_ ,” Seppa said, a horrified look on her face. She set the clothing down at the foot of the bed. “That pillow is ruined.” Bumi followed her gaze. The pillow in question was covered in the unmistakable dark brown of dried blood. _So that’s where the smell was coming from_.

"Well, you don't have to be here, you know," Bumi said defensively.

"Oh you want me to go? Good luck with all of this, then."

"I can take care of myself. And I don't need some goody two-shoes running and telling Dad."

Kya withdrew her hand from his neck. The pain returned almost instantaneously. "Bumi, stop it. Seppa can be trusted. And I'm not going to be able to get you dressed and cleaned up on my own. She's doing you a favor." His sister's voice was as sharp as ever. She turned towards the acolyte. "Please stay."

An odd expression flicked across Seppa's face as she looked at Kya, but she nodded all the same. She crossed the room to the closet, where she pulled out an extra pillowcase. Kya turned back to Bumi, and drew a folded napkin out of her pocket. "Try and eat this. It was all I could steal for you."

Bumi unfolded it to find a sticky bun that he could tell was filled with fruit. The smell was simultaneously intoxicating and nauseating. He took a small bite and let the sweetness fill his mouth. After a fashion, he managed to swallow.

By the time he got through the roll, his head was feeling much clearer. Whatever healing Kya had done had taken away the worst of his headache, though a dull pain remained. The water and bread had helped his shaking a bit as well. 

"Kya, there's no way we're going to be able to smuggle this pillowcase out without questions," Seppa called from the bed. She had laid out fresh linens as well. "And I think too much of the blood has set for you to be able to clean it at this point."

"Just throw it in the back of Tenzin's closet for now," Kya answered. "I'll deal with it later." Bumi tried not to think about the vomit Tenzin would also find in his drawer.  _I'll figure out a way to make it up to him_. Kya took the waterskin back from Bumi and slung it over her shoulder, along with her other. "Okay, we need to try to get you up and dressed."

Bumi shifted so he was kneeling, resting an arm against Kya's shoulder. Slowly, he moved a leg out in front of him, and tried to put weight on it. The green dots returned to his vision. He managed to stand up halfway before falling against his sister. She reeled under his weight. Though Kya was no weakling, Bumi had a few inches and eighty good pounds of muscle on her. Seppa quickly rushed to her side and helped prop Bumi up. Somehow, they made it towards the bed, where his fresh clothes waited for him.

If he had felt a bit silly for being curled in fetal position and unable to move when they had found him, he was outright humiliated for needing two teenage girls to help him get dressed. Yet he was as useless as ever; even Bumi's hands felt more clumsy than usual. Seppa had to be the one to take off his belt. "See and this wouldn't have even been ‘til the third date," he joked, hoping to cut the tension. The look she returned him made it clear he had only achieved the opposite. Kya, who was helping him with his shirt, shoved his arm through the sleeve with more force than was entirely needed.

When all was said and done, Bumi looked presentable. His body had grown accustomed to standing up by that point. Though he had to move slowly, he could still walk without help.

Seppa folded his soiled clothes. "I'm going to take these down to the wash room," she said. "Then I've got to get back to the pavilion for meditation."

Kya touched her arm. "Thank you," she said, emphatically. She gave Bumi a pointed look.

"Oh right. Thanks," he said. "Really."

Seppa gave a smile that looked more like a grimace before looking back towards Kya. "I'll see you later then,” she said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Kya glanced furtively at Bumi before managing a "sounds good."

Once Seppa had left, Kya wasted no time. "You're going to need to go to lunch. Dad and Mom will both be there, but we can't get you a bison home without being seen by someone. Besides, you need to eat something substantial. You lost so much blood, Bumi."

Thinking about it made him feel queasy. "They'll know I'm cutting class."

"Just tell them they were cancelled today." She reached up and touched his hair, sweeping some onto his forehead. "And you have a little bit of a scar. Sorry, I did my best."

"I don't know Kya...can't we try and sneak me out tonight? Tenzin's bison, what's his name—Oogi?—trusts him enough to take off from the northern shore."

"Bumi!" Kya said, exasperated. "You can't hide in Tenzin's room all day, and you can't expect us to sneak you out on a half-grown bison! We've already lied and risked getting caught for you. You can get through one meal with Mom and Dad."

"But I'm feeling sick," he protested.  _Mom will see my scar. She always notices these things_.

"Because you spent half the night bleeding under Tenzin's bed with...who-knows-what coursing through you. Mom says that it's important to eat green vegetables if you've lost blood." Kya paused and frowned. "Though other healers say fish and meat. Not that it matters for us."

Bumi's stomach did yet another turn at that. Once he moved off of Air Temple Island, the first thing he did was shed their vegetarian diet. "What if they asked how I got here?"

"Your friends dropped you off by boat. That’s what happened, isn’t it? It’s not like they’re going to check with anyone on the docks." She frowned. "Bumi, come on. They're going to start wondering where _I_ am."

He slumped his shoulders, defeated. "Let's just get this over with." 

He was still shaky, but every step Bumi took seemed to help; it was almost tangible proof that he would be alright. Once he and his sister walked outside, however, the sunlight brought his headache back full force. Bumi was practically half-blind as they strode into the dining hall. At the table in the center sat his parents, Tenzin, and to his horror, his uncle. Though Aang and Katara might overlook it, Sokka would surely notice the signs of a cactus juice hangover.

"Look who turned up!" Kya called as she walked towards the table, casually gesturing in Bumi's direction. They all glanced over expectantly.

Bumi drew a breath and forced a smile. "Hey there! My early afternoon class was cancelled. Figured I'd drop by for lunch."

Aang smiled, Sokka tilted his cup in Bumi's direction, and Katara jumped up out of her seat. Tenzin, meanwhile, stared intently at his miso soup. His mother met Bumi halfway to the table and gave him a hug. "Are you alright?" she asked, when she had pulled back. "You look exhausted."

Bumi instinctively flattened his hair where his sister had tried to set it. "Life of a student," he said, unable to meet her eyes. "Also, I skipped breakfast."

"Ohhh, so  _that's_  why you're really here," Aang said jokingly, as they took their seats.

"Are you kidding?" Sokka asked. "All the wonderful food of Republic City and he chooses  _airbender_  fare? I don't think so."

Katara hit her brother lightly on the shoulder. "Feel free to stop eating then."

He waved his hand. "Happy to be here, sis. I'm just saying, no one is crossing Yue Bay for some steamed carrots." Bumi made himself laugh at that, as Sokka was likely expecting. Kya slid a plate of edamame towards him and gave him a significant look.

"Well we're happy to have you, Bumi, whatever the reason," Katara said. "Though why was your class cancelled?"

He was grateful that the beans in his mouth gave him time to think. "The professor is on vacation this week." 

His mother frowned. "In the middle of the semester?"

"I don't know, maybe it was time-sensitive research or something. I think a swarm of dolphin piranhas is nearing Whale Tail Island right now...you know how this stuff is."

Katara looked skeptical, but fortunately Aang took the bait. "I've always wanted to see them. They'd be something to ride, wouldn't they, Tenzin?" He winked at his younger son.

Tenzin was the as pale as the tofu in his soup. "What? I don't know!"

Bumi heard Kya sigh next to him. Aang looked bemused. "I was joking...that would be quite dangerous."

"Oh," Tenzin said, awkwardly fingering his spoon.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked her younger son.

He looked back at her with tearful eyes. "I'm not feeling all that well. May I be excused to go meditate?"

"You don't want to see your—”

Aang cut his wife off. "Of course you can meditate. I'll come join you in a little."

Tenzin nearly overturned his bowl in his haste to leave the room. "What was that all about?" Sokka asked once he had left. Bumi put his head down and concentrated on his edamame. 

Aang shook his head. "He's getting near the age I was when I got my tattoos," he said, solemnly. "I think he's putting too much pressure on himself. I just hope he knows I'm going to be proud of him no matter how long it takes."

Katara gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "I'm sure he knows that. You're doing the best you can."

Suddenly, Bumi lost his taste for the soybeans. Kya caught the look on his face. "So Skipper gave Bumi a ride here. Wasn't that nice of him?"

"Oh, yes. How is...Skipper?" Katara asked, barely keeping the disdain out of her voice.

"He owns a boat?" Aang asked skeptically. Sokka looked from his sister to the Avatar, shrugged, and continued to eat his own soup.

Bumi glared at Kya. "He borrowed it. Friend of a friend's." His sister looked at him with a questioning gaze. _"What?"_  she mouthed.

"Must be some nice friends," Sokka offered.

Kya couldn't have known the boat Bumi came in was stolen, but he didn't need her throwing him into the line of fire all the same. "Skipper's like a brother, actually," he said, reaching across the table for another plate full of greens.

Katara tightened her grip on her chopsticks, but Aang managed a smile. "Well good," he said. "Living with him is going well, I take it?"

"It's going great." He could feel Kya's eyes on him, no doubt disapproving along with their mother’s. He shoved a generous amount of the bok choy in his mouth, hoping that would end the line of questioning.

It did not. "Tell us about your classes then," Katara said.

"Yes, how's...what was it again? ‘Special Topics in Earth Kingdom History?’” Aang asked. "I'm excited that you'll get to learn about the time I founded a group of brainwashing bodyguards." He gave Sokka a knowing smile.

"I will never forgive you for Joo Dee," his friend answered, laughing. "Though I wonder what happened to her..."

"Which one?" Aang asked. They both started laughing until Katara cut in. "That isn't funny! All those poor women."

"Hey, we're just giving Bumi some insider information here. I'm sure this will be useful on a test," Sokka said. Aang looked at his son expectantly.

"I'm not taking that course anymore," Bumi said flatly. "I switched it for ‘Musical Instruments of the Fire Nation.’" All the smiles at the table seemed to die at that. "It was just an elective," he said, defensively.

"I think you might have gotten something out of it though," Katara said.

Aang shrugged. "I think you should try and take whatever makes you happy. I certainly enjoyed _my_ Fire Nation music class." He put an arm around his wife. "Remember?"

"Ugh, the two of you!" Sokka exclaimed. "As much fun as this trip down memory lane has been, Aang, we've got our council meeting soon."

"I'll be needing a ride back, too," Bumi said, hopefully. Katara and Kya might be scornful, but when he got to be alone with his dad and uncle, it was always a fun atmosphere.

Aang let go of Katara and brought his hands together. "The two of you can take Appa. I'll fly back on my glider and be a little late to the meeting. I want to check on Tenzin."

"Bumi, you really have to leave so soon? You just got here," Katara said. "I'd love to hear more about your semester. And Kya and I can give you a ride to town later."

Bumi looked at his sister, whose arms were folded. She wore a closed expression on her face, but he was in no mood to try and decipher it. He somehow couldn't bring himself to meet his mother's eyes. "No, it's okay, everyone's busy," he said. "And I have a paper due for my ‘Plant Anatomy: Structure, and Chi’ class tomorrow anyway. It's just easier if I head back now." He wondered if his friends told anyone about his injury.  _If so, I'll be the hit of the party tonight_. 

"You sure?" Sokka asked, looking from his nephew to his sister awkwardly.

"Yeah," Bumi said. "Yeah, I should have told you I was coming ahead of time."

"You know you're always welcome," Katara said. "Maybe you can come for dinner next week?"

"Sure, Mom." Even though his appetite was only now returning, Bumi pushed his plate away from him and made to stand. The sudden rush of blood threw him off balance, and he nearly tripped climbing out of the seat. Kya made a movement as if to rise, but stopped herself. Bumi could feel his hands shaking, though he was much more stable on his feet than before.

Once he was free of the table, Sokka and Aang took that as their cue to leave too. Aang placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. "It was good seeing you. Let me know if there's any instrument you'd like me to get for you," he said, before turning towards Sokka. "Feel free to get everything started, but try and hold off talking about the export taxes until I get there."

"Right, how could you want to miss that?" Sokka asked, rolling his eyes.

Katara insisted on giving Bumi another hug. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom, I'm only ten minutes away." He withdrew from her embrace, feeling oddly irritable. 

"Say 'hi' to Skipper for me," Kya called from the table. "We're practically family." There was no mistaking the coldness in her voice.

Bumi wanted to apologize...to thank her for everything. But he couldn't, not with everyone around. And even though she'd keep his secrets, there was no doubt she and Katara would worry about him together once he left. "I'll see you soon," he said to her.

Sokka clapped a hand on Bumi's back so hard it nearly brought him to his knees. "Ready then, kiddo?" 

Katara looked like she was fighting tears, and Kya was brooding into her cup of tea.  _I would have been better off going back to my apartment_ , Bumi thought.  _Skipper definitely could have found a healer to convince_. "As I'll ever be," he said to his uncle.

Sokka was jovial as they headed out towards the stables, not seeming to notice his nephew grimacing from the sunlight. He blathered on about the weather, about Toph bringing Suyin to a council meeting the week before, about an awkward date he had the other night, and about when Suki was due back from the Fire Nation. It wasn't until they had flown halfway to the heart of the city that Sokka stopped talking. He turned from where he was seated on Appa's head to look at Bumi. "Here, I think you could use this," he said, reaching into his coat pocket. When he withdrew his hand, he was holding a piece of jerky. "It can be our secret."

Bumi took it gratefully, and ate it in two bites. His uncle laughed. "The way you were scarfing down those soybeans, I knew you needed something more substantial."

"Thanks," Bumi answered, wondering why Sokka seemed to be staring at him. He shifted in the saddle awkwardly. 

"Look, I'm not your parent. And I'm not going to pretend that I haven't done some stupid things in my life," Sokka said. Bumi felt his heart begin to race. His uncle continued, "But whatever you were doing last night...you have to be careful."

"I...I was just..."

Sokka turned back to face front and waved a hand. "Whatever happened, you wanted to come home because of it. I know how comforting that can be. And it's perfectly normal to get freaked out. I just want to make sure you're aware of the dangers."

"Oh, well...”

"Your mother has mentioned to me that she's a little bit worried about your friends. Well, you know how she is. But it's because she cares about you."

"My friends are fine," Bumi protested.

Sokka turned again. "Oh, I'm sure of that. And you're twenty now; a man. You don't need our approval. Just make sure you're balancing the fun."

"I do," Bumi said, quietly. "You're really not going to tell my parents?"

Sokka looked back towards the approaching city. "About the meat? Definitely not. No point in a nonbender keeping a diet of two-hundred year-old monks. Even your mom eats fish from time to time, but don't tell her I told you that."

"What about the other thing?"

Sokka's shoulders slumped. "I don't want to be the bad guy here. I don't have to bring it up, but I can't lie to my sister. Look. We're all just concerned about you, Bumi. We want to make sure you're on the path towards a happy life." He glanced back. "Are you?"

 _If I was an airbender,_  Bumi thought,  _I could jump out of this saddle right now_. "I mostly like zoology."

"Well that's something!" Sokka answered. "And it's okay if you don't, too. It took me awhile to figure out what makes me happy."

"What does?" 

"Simple. Pickled seal jerky, council meetings with unanimous votes, and something to hit with my boomerang. As long as you can think of three things, you're doing alright."

Bumi sat back in the saddle, scouring his brains. _A glass of ale, a girl to kiss, and a place I can call my own_ , he thought. More nights than not, he had all three. So why was it never enough? 


	2. The Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bumi waits for his parents to visit after receiving distressing news from his school.
> 
> Content warnings for this chapter:  
> -Drug use (marijuana) 
> 
> Original characters:  
> -Skipper: Bumi's best friend and apartment-mate  
> -Chugs: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Gor: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Tirrok: an acquaintance of Bumi  
> -Fayin: a political science student who Skipper is attempting to date  
> -Sen: a cousin of a university student

"At this time we recommend a reduction in course-load. Performance will be closely monitored, and if there are no signs of improvement, more serious action will be taken." It was the third time Bumi had read the words, but the first time out-loud, to his friends.

Chugs shook his head. "That's stupid. Your grades aren't that bad."

Bumi tried to laugh. "What's this 'serious action,' do you think? They gonna make me write a paper to the dean or something?" The joke came easily enough, though he wanted nothing more than to run to his bedroom and hide under the covers.

"It's supposed to intimidate you," Skipper said, without looking up. He was hunched over the coffee table, dividing Chugs's bag of Omashu leaf into fifths. "I've been on disciplinary probation for the last three semesters. You know what they've done? Zilch."

Chugs snickered. "That's because you've been hiding from your advisor since then."

"Well it's worked," Skipper said with a shrug.

"I'm not too worried," Bumi lied. "But can you put that away? My parents are supposed to be here any minute."

"Then you should have some. Help mellow you out."

"Are you gonna get in trouble with them?" Chugs asked.

"I already _am_ in trouble," Bumi answered, waving the letter.

Skipper rolled his eyes. "Why are they even bothering coming? It's like they just go through the motions of what they _think_ parents are supposed to do." He pulled out a small piece of paper. "Kid gets put on disciplinary probation? Ah well better go give him a stern talking-to."

The words stung, but Bumi did his best to ignore them. Skipper was only trying to cheer him up. "Seriously man? You're rolling one now? Do that in your room."

"Like they'd even know what this is." Skipper looked irritable, but he swept his handiwork off the table and onto a folder all the same. No sooner had he stood up than they heard a knock on the door. "Oh no," he said sarcastically, "my leg's cramped...I can't walk!"

Bumi laughed, but got up and shoved his friend away from the couch. Chugs waited until Skipper had disappeared into his bedroom before opening the door to the apartment. "Hello ma'am," he said politely.

Only Katara stood on the other side, Aang nowhere in sight.

She smiled at Chugs. "Chagon, I hope you're doing well." He nodded in response, but Katara's eyes were elsewhere, scanning the apartment.

Bumi stood by the couch, suddenly frozen. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Hi, Mom. Nice to see you."

She smiled at him, but there was something in her eyes that caused Bumi's heart to race. "It's such a nice day out,” she said. “Why don't we go to the park in the middle of campus?"

"Sounds good, Mom." He shuffled towards her, a sense of dread washing over him.

He was only five feet from the door when Skipper burst out of his bedroom. "Bumi! You were almost going to leave before I could say 'hello' to your wonderful mother?" His voice was dripping with false sweetness. Before anyone could say anything, he dashed across the room with exaggerated movements, dramatically picked up and Katara's hand, and kissed it. "It is lovely to see you again," he said.

Katara's eyes narrowed, though she managed a forced smile. "Skipper. Give your parents my best."

"We're so close, I'll hardly be able to hold back."

Any other day, Bumi would have thought his friend was hilarious. Yet now he found himself fighting the urge to smash his teeth in. "We've gotta go, Skip. I'll be back later."

"Oh of course, of course. Do give your best to the Avatar for me, won't you? I was hoping to see him myself."

Katara sighed. "I'll be sure to do that."

Bumi and his mother exited the apartment building in silence, but as soon as they stepped out into the sunlight, he couldn't hold it back anymore. "So why _isn't_ Dad here?"

"Something important came up for the council," Katara answered, apologetically. "He was upset he couldn't make it."

"Tapioca tea!" a vendor called at them as they walked past her cart. Campus only took up a few city blocks, yet it was where all the food and drink vendors swarmed. Students were just as plentiful. There were always hoards flocking to their favorite stalls, having a catch on the few patches of grass, or leaning up against trees to read or play a flute. Normally, Bumi loved the vibrant atmosphere, yet today he would have given anything to escape the eyes.

Only a few steps away from the tea cart, Bumi ran into Tirrok, one of his first friends he had made at the university. "Hey man!" Tirrok called pleasantly. "You gonna give us your pitching arm this Saturday?"

Bumi glanced sideways at his mother. "I'd like to...I'll have to see."

Tirrok seemed to understand. "Is this your mom? I'm Tirrok. Bumi and I were in the same orientation group two years ago." He held out his hand.

Katara shook it. "It's lovely to meet you. Bumi was just showing me around."

"Well, it's a nice day for it. Don't let me interrupt." He smiled at Bumi, who nodded his head in response.

"What did he want you to pitch?" Katara asked, once Tirrok was out of earshot.

"I play in cricket matches on the weekend every now and then," Bumi answered. _And sometimes during class, too_.

"Well, he seemed very nice."

 _You mean he didn’t seem like Skipper_ , he thought. They rounded the corner to the small, one-block park in the heart of campus. A girl Bumi recognized gave a shy smile and tucked her hair behind her ear before scurrying along. He vaguely recalled kissing her at a party, but which one and how long ago he could not have said.

Katara gestured towards an open bench by a small pond and the two sat. Bumi could feel her eyes, but couldn't meet them, instead choosing to look at two girls who were camped beneath a tree. One was whispering in the other's ear. After about a minute, Bumi couldn't take the silence anymore. "So...are you and Dad going to pull me out?"

"Of course not," Katara said.

"But you're mad?" The two girls were laughing now. Bumi always found girls' laughter relaxing.

"We're not mad. We're just..." his mother looked away as she searched for the right word. "We're worried, Bumi. We both think you're capable of anything you put your mind to. You're so smart."

"Dad thinks that?" Bumi asked, before he could stop himself. He dropped his eyes to his boots.

Katara reached out and touched his hand. "Of course he does. But that doesn't mean we don't have concerns. This is your fourth major since you started school. And based on your performance, it seems like this one might not be the best fit. But what do you think? Talk to me."

Bumi drew in his breath. "I don't know," he said. He could feel tears welling in his eyes, and blinked until they went away. "I _do_ like zoology. But it can be hard to focus on the work." He looked at his mother. She nodded at him, eyes full of worry. It was clear she wouldn't talk until he got it all out. "I really don't know, Mom. Sometimes I feel like I don't have what it takes to be a student. But then what else is there?"

Katara sighed. "It must be difficult. My path was always chosen for me." As if to emphasize her point, she bent a small amount of water out of the pond, around her hand. "Your father and I, we grew up during a war. And with him being the Avatar, we were always going to be front and center to deal with the political consequences. That led to the founding of this city, and then running it. But you..." she bent the water back into the pond in one, smooth stream. "It's so open-ended. And that’s both really exciting and really overwhelming. When you were a child, you used to have a different idea every week about what you wanted to be."

"I mostly wanted to be a warrior, like Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki."

"You still can, if that's what you want. They've both offered to train you."

"I don't know what I want!" he said, frustrated. The two girls looked over. He dropped his voice as he continued. "I'm twenty now. I can't have different ideas every week. Heck, Dad was practically my age when you had me!”

Katara frowned. "I had to grow up fast. Your father, even more so. In a different time, with different circumstances..." she let her voice trail off again and shook her head. "Bumi, I never want you to stop seeing the possibilities. But I do think you need guidance. Have you talked to your advisor about any of this?"

"No." Bumi kicked at the ground. "What, tell him that I don't know if I should even be in school?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't be the first student to think that.”

"I guess so." The two girls were standing now, getting ready to leave. "He has open office hours on Monday. I can stop by then."

"In the meantime, it's Thursday. Is there anything you can do about your grades this weekend?" she asked.

Bumi gave a noncommittal shrug. "I could talk to my Comparative Animal Physiology professor tomorrow about taking her course as a pass/fail. That would take some pressure off this semester. And I have an exam in Intro to Vertebrate Chakras next week. I could start studying for that tonight."

Katara reached out and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I think that sounds like a great plan. And you know if it ever gets too much, or you just need to get away from campus for a little, you're welcome home. We're all here for you."

"I'll be okay, Mom," Bumi assured her. "I'll go to the library as soon as you leave."

Katara ended up staying for another hour. She bought the two of them rice cakes, which they ate as they walked to the zoology building. There, Bumi showed her his lab project for ‘Plant Anatomy: Structure and Chi.” After she left, he was feeling almost content as he made his way back to his apartment.

He could smell the Omashu leaf as soon as he walked into the stairwell. When he opened the door to his apartment, the aroma nearly choked him. Chugs and Skipper were both lying on the floor, but they looked up when he walked in. "How pissed was she?" Skipper asked. He had at least a dozen kale chips laid out on his chest.

"It was actually okay," Bumi said. He threw himself into their chair and slumped a leg over its arm.

Chugs pushed himself up and leaned against the back of the couch. "So you're not in any more trouble?"

"Nah. I'm going to talk to my advisor on Monday, though. And I want to go to the library tonight to study."

"I'm gonna go there too, once Gor gets back. Should be soon," Chugs said, nodding. 

Skipper let his head fall back to the ground. "Seriously? This is what you're going to do on a Thursday night?"

"Well some of us aren't aiming for three semesters of probation," Bumi teased. He picked up a half-lit joint on the table, considered it, and took a hit. _I can have just a little. It'll probably help me focus_.

"Besides, we've got Vacco's party tomorrow anyway," Chugs pointed out. "That's going to be crazy."

"If it doesn't get busted this time." Skipper lazily ate a chip. "But so what? Fayin invited me to a party _tonight_. I think I'm finally getting close with her. And all her political science friends will be there. Remember how hot they were at that other party, Bumi?"

"And they'll probably be at Vacco's too. I need to do well on my test next week, and I've got recitation first thing in the morning. If I study tonight I'll be able to come up with questions for it."

Skipper sat up at that, scattering the kale chips all over the floor. "You're going to recitation now? Wow, one conversation with Mommy and she's made a monk out of you."

Bumi tried not to let his anger show. "I'm no monk. I've just got better things to do than be your wingman. I know a lost cause when I see it." He grinned, but threw the joint back onto the coffee table, suddenly feeling disgusted with himself.

"Yeah, face it, Skip," Chugs said, "if Fayin was interested you two would have hooked up already." At that moment the door opened, and Gor walked in. Chugs stood, yawning. "Oh good. We going to the library still?"

"Yeah, let me just change my books," he answered. Chugs nodded and went to collect his own things.

"You guys are the worst," Skipper grumbled.

Gor made for his room, but left the door open. "Oh hey, Bumi," he called from inside. "I just saw your dad."

Bumi sat upright in his seat. "Where?"

"There was some press conference I walked past on my way back from my internship," Gor answered. He poked his head around the corner. "I don't know, ten blocks from here or so?"

"So much for 'something important came up for council,'" Bumi muttered under his breath. Why couldn't his dad have just made one of the other council members talk to the reporters?

Skipper seemed to have heard. "Hey, Gor, did you catch what it was about?" he called.

He emerged from his room, pulling the strings closed on his bag. "Not really. I think something about one of Yakone's henchman? You know, that bloodbender they caught a couple years ago."

Bumi sank back into the chair. "Seems like Chief Beifong should have been doing the talking then."

"I really don't know," Gor said. "But your dad is always doing stuff like this, isn't he?"

Chugs emerged from his own room. "Bumi, you ready to go?"

"Fine, let me grab my stuff." He pushed himself out of his chair and headed towards his bedroom, his head suddenly hurting. Skipper followed.

"Look, Bumi," he began.

Bumi cut him off. "I have to study for this, Skip. Quit giving me a hard time." He scoured the room for his chakras textbook, until he spotted it half-sticking out under his bed.

"That's not what I was going to say," Skipper answered, folding his arms. "Come on man, today was stressful. You deserve a drink. Why don't you go study for a few hours, and then swing by? I was going to go around nine."

Bumi looked at his friend. "I don't know...recitation is pretty early."

"Yeah, but what's one drink? Just think about it, okay? We both know you want to."

"Maybe. I'll see how studying goes."

In the end, it was nothing short of a disaster. No matter how many times Bumi tried to force his attention onto his class notes, his thoughts carried him away. It was the same internal argument: _I'm sure dad had to go to that press conference_ , he would think. But then another voice would answer, _Just like he had to go to that council meeting last week. He was willing to be late for Tenzin_. The voice almost sounded like Kya's.

Time seemed to melt in the library. Bumi stopped looking up at the clock; it only served to remind him just how many hours had passed without him accomplishing anything. At a quarter past nine, he finally gave up. "I'm going to take off," he whispered to Gor and Chugs. They were both hunched over the same book, working on a complicated set of math problems.

"You sure?" Chugs asked. When Bumi nodded, he continued, "Alright, well see you at home then."

"See you later," Gor said.

Bumi gathered his things and practically ran out of the library. The night air was refreshing and cool. He looked up at the clear sky. "What is wrong with me?" he asked. The moon had no answer.

He headed back to his apartment, put his books down, changed his shirt, and in less than five minutes was on his way to the party. Fayin lived in a house a few blocks off of campus with four other girls. Skipper liked to spend time on their block, hoping to run into one of them, so it was a path Bumi knew well. As soon as he turned onto her street, he heard loud voices.

There were a few people out front, sitting on the railing of the porch. "Bumi!" One of them called. Bumi vaguely recognized him from his music elective, but had no notion of his name. "How are you man?"

Bumi bumped his fist. "Good as always," he said in an animated tone. A few heads turned to look.

"This is the Avatar's son!" the music class man said, leaning towards a group of friends.

Mouths dropped open. "Woah, are you an airbender?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, but I can’t show you. It would _blow_ your mind." That was Bumi's default line when he wanted to end conversation; most found the pun sufficiently off-putting. Not this crowd. They all broke into laughter.

"Man, you are so lucky!" someone called.

"Your dad is my hero," another offered.

"Are you guys close?" a girl asked.

"So close he told me to go inside and drink the lot of you under the table," Bumi quipped. He walked away to the sound of their laughter.

The inside of the house was packed. Bumi barely made out the drink table in the distance. He maneuvered his way through the crush of people, high-fiving the few he recognized on the way. He had just poured himself a beer when a hand clapped him on the back.

It was Skipper. He was looking flushed, and he had his arm around Fayin. "Ladies and gentleman," he called out. "We're here to celebrate our very own Bumi's disciplinary probation!"

A small cheer went up around them. Fayin giggled. "Speech!" someone called out sarcastically.

Bumi climbed up onto the table. "Everyone...especially the lovely ladies of house 409..." He paused for a few cheers. "I just want to say: I couldn't have done it without you!" With that, he emptied the contents of his cup as another cheer erupted.

He climbed down and poured himself another drink, but when he turned back around, Skipper and Fayin were nowhere to be seen. A few faces were still looking at him. He recognized one as Xu. They had both been art history majors together two semesters ago. In truth, Bumi found him insufferable, but better a friendly face than nothing at all. "How are you, man?" he asked, making his way towards him.

"Oh I'm great! You're on probe though? That's rough,” Xu said.

Bumi waved his hand and took a sizable drink. "It's nothing."

"Well hey, Halli is getting a saber game together. Want in?"

Bumi scanned the room for Skipper again, to no avail. "Don't see why not," he answered. _I'll stay for one round_ , he told himself.

He stayed for three. Though his sword-training had never been serious, Bumi was almost always more accomplished with a saber than anyone else in the room. He had a talent for the game, even when drunk. Each time he managed to slice the cans cleanly open from the top, barely spilling the foam into his cup. And each time a roar would go up from the crowd. Still, thanks to his teammates, he found himself three or four drinks deeper than he had planned.

When he finally stepped away from the table, he needed to steady himself. He chose to do so against one of Fayin's housemates, who shook him off with a disgusted look on her face. It was then that Bumi realized he should go home.

The porch was empty when he walked back onto it. _I wonder what time it is_. He leaned against the railing, drinking in the lights of the city. He loved Republic City at night; there were no expectations once the sun set. Yet as an ostrich-horse pulling a cart clopped down the street in front of him, an odd feeling of loneliness swept over him. He pushed himself back up. "Come on, Bumi, go home, and tell Gor to get you up for class."

He was about to do just that when a voice calling his name stopped him. He turned to see a girl emerging from the house. Her face was rather ordinary, yet there was something eye-grabbing about her all the same. "I'm disappointed. You left before you could face me."

Bumi jumped backwards and sat himself on the railing. "Would that have been a fair match?" he asked. "I was under the impression my competition wanted me to quit."

She walked closer and hoisted herself up beside him. "Well I've never been one to back away from a challenge."

Her eyes were a deep green. Bumi decided he liked that. "Let me guess then...you're a...physics major?"

"Those people who calculate the trajectories of fireballs?" She laughed. "I'm afraid I'm much more pragmatic than that. I actually don't go here."

"Really?" _I might want to drop out_. "What do you do then?"

"My family owns a shop, and my dad needs me to help with it," she said. She looked away. "It's not thrilling I know."

"Do you like it?"

"Well enough," she said. "I like helping out my family, and I like the customers."

"And your skill at saber...?"

"I used to want to be a Kyoshi warrior," she said. "I would practice and everything. But it just wasn't realistic. I'm Sen, by the way."

"Bumi," he answered. He wondered if it would be rude to mention his aunt.

"I know who you are," Sen said, with a laugh.

"Oh, of course you do."

She touched his forearm. "I didn't mean it like that. I just...I noticed you tonight."

Bumi looked back at her. "Why?"

"You're a nonbender," she said, simply. It wasn't a question. "I didn’t know the Avatar had a nonbending child. Is that hard for you?"

Bumi shrugged. "There are certain things that make it easier." He leaned over and kissed her. For a few glorious minutes the world was lost to him. When they broke away, he took her hand. "Do you want to get out of here? My apartment isn't far."

Sen touched the side of his face lightly. "I'm sorry, I have to open the shop tomorrow. I actually should be getting home."

"Can I walk you back?"

"I would like that."

Sen's house was only fifteen blocks away, but it was in the opposite direction of campus. As they walked, Bumi learned a bit more about her: her cousin went to the university and had been the one who invited her to the party, her mother couldn't help around the shop as much as she wanted anymore because of a bad back, and she still sometimes took martial arts classes downtown.

But what surprised Bumi the most was how much he was willing to share. He told her about how he was unsure about his major, how he was on disciplinary probation, and even about his conversation with his mother. "I don't know," he said, as they turned the corner onto her street. "I just feel like no matter what I pick, I'm always going to let someone down." It was a thought that had been brewing for a while, but he had never been able to say it before.

Sen stopped walking, and turned to give him a hug. "That's sounds stressful. How do you manage it?" she asked softly. He could feel her breath on his neck as she spoke. It was oddly comforting.

Bumi pulled back to look at her. "I...I don't have a choice."

She kissed him at that, gently at first, until he pushed her up against the side of a nearby building. An ostrich horse cart might have tried to run them over, and he would have never known. His entire world was Sen: her hand at the base of his neck, her smell, her mouth.

After a time, and with difficulty, they broke apart. He could feel his heart hammering—or was it hers?

She moved her hands to Bumi's shoulders. "I'm sorry; I have to go."

"I know."

"When can I see you again?"

"There's a party tomorrow night. Or we could skip that," he answered, grinning.

"I might like that." They embraced again, but only for a moment. When they stopped, Sen looked at him and bit her lip. She pulled on his jacket for a second, as if to kiss him once more, but shook her head. "No. No I have to go."

"Which one is your house?"

"That grey one, halfway down the block. I'm going now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You can count on it."

Bumi watched her leave from where he stood, and once he saw that she was safely inside, turned to  go himself. His head was swimming, though whether from the beer or Sen, he could not have said.

He only made it two blocks when he realized how full his bladder was. He looked around, but everywhere seemed equally closed. It was only a few more blocks to where many off-campus houses were, but even then he'd have to find a party. He took one last glance at the street before ducking in between two buildings, where he relieved himself. But no sooner had he buttoned his pants and walked back onto the sidewalk, than a voice called out.

"Young man!" It was a police officer. Bumi felt his blood freeze.

"Goodnight, officer. How are you?"

The metal hit his wrist before he could react. "You are under arrest for public drunkenness and urination."

Bumi laughed, but then stopped himself. "Sorry. Please. I'm a university student—I was just walking home."

"I'm afraid not now, son."

Bumi barely remembered being led to the ostrich horse cart or being brought into the station. Yet the next thing he knew, he was behind bars.

The cell officer was much kinder. "We're just going to keep you here tonight. You'll be free to go in the morning."

"I have recitation," he said, thickly. The officer looked at him without comprehension.

"Just...sleep this off," she said. Soon, she walked away too.

Bumi knew it wasn't going to be serious. Both Chugs and Skipper had been arrested on these charges before. The police only wanted to scare university students. The first offense was a slap on the wrist: a mark in a "permanent file" and a night in an uncomfortable cell. The second offense was a call to school administrators. Or at least, that's what he thought Skipper had told him. Bumi tried to comfort himself with that knowledge as he went to sleep.

It came more easily than he had anticipated. When he finally woke, his head wasn't hurting as much as he had feared it might.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an officer passing his cell. Bumi called to her. She turned and smiled pleasantly enough. "Oh good, you’re awake. I'll tell them to process your paperwork." With that, she walked away. Bumi heard a door close behind her.

He rose from his bed, and walked over to peer out. He only saw a row of empty cells. He leaned against the bars of his own one, nearly laughing. _What a story this will be_. Yet when the door at the end of the hallway opened again, the laughter died on his lips. _Toph_.

Bumi raced to the back of his cell and jumped up onto the bed. _Maybe she won't sense me_ , he thought. He covered his head with his hands, as if that would help.

Toph was walking with another officer, talking about patrol hours. He held his breath when they passed his cell, but neither one so much as hesitated. Then they were gone.

Bumi uncovered his head. Yet a sigh of relief hadn't even escaped his lips when Toph appeared again, walking backwards. She stopped, raised a hand, and pointed directly at Bumi with eyes still facing forward. "Wait. Open that cell."


	3. The Delinquent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara and Aang form a plan as a result of Bumi's arrest, and it's not what he has in mind.
> 
> Original characters:  
> -Skipper: Bumi's best friend and apartment-mate  
> -Chugs: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Gor: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Sen: the girl Bumi walked home from the party

“What were you _thinking_?” It was not the first time Katara had asked the question. Yet despite nearly ten minutes passing since Bumi was called into Aang’s office for a stern talking-to, he was no closer to an answer.

“I didn’t mean to stay at the party as long as I did,” he managed, looking down at his father’s desk. He was thankful for it; the three feet of wood may not have been much of a buffer, but it was _something_.

“You told me you were going to the library after I left,” Katara said.

“I did! I studied for hours.” It wasn’t a lie, Bumi knew, yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty. He may as well have been asleep on his books for all the good his ‘studying’ had done.

“And then decided to go to a party,” his mother finished. Beside her, Aang shifted in his seat.

His father had been no more at ease all day. It had been the Avatar who collected Bumi from the jail. He hadn’t looked angry, though the jovial tones with which he spoke to Toph sounded forced. After dragging out a conversation with her for the better part of an hour, Aang finally had turned his attention towards Bumi with a simple, “are you ready?”

Once on Appa, he had proven no more conversational. After an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence, Bumi finally had asked, “what’s going to happen to me?”

Aang hadn’t even turned around. “Let’s wait to discuss this with your mother.”

“Why? She didn’t wait for you yesterday,” Bumi mumbled under his breath in response. But he had known his father wouldn’t have heard over the wind. Appa seemed to have been moving even faster than normal, as if sensing his rider’s discomfort.

When they arrived back to the island, they found that Katara was leading a healing clinic and wouldn’t be back until the evening. “We’ll...we’ll talk when she gets back then,” Aang had said. With that, he had practically run to the gazebo to meditate.

Yet even now, hours later and in his wife’s presence, Aang still seemed unable to make eye contact. Katara, on the other hand, was fixing Bumi with a piercing look. It was a look he saw rarely...a look that terrified him more than anything else.

Bumi tried to meet her gaze. “I thought one drink would be okay,” he explained.

“You’re on academic probation!” she said. “Bumi, you promised me things would change. That you would study.”

“I did! And things will!”

“But you’re still going to parties on school nights. And your arrest caused you to miss your morning class.” Katara shook her head and glanced at her husband. _Well, I missed my afternoon lab thanks to this_ , Bumi thought bitterly.

Aang looked as if he was ready to make a run for the door. Instead, he brought his hands together. “I’m just confused why you were so far from campus. Toph said you were arrested a good twenty blocks away.”

Bumi set his jaw. “I was walking someone home.”

His parents exchanged a look. “Who?” Katara asked. “Is this ‘someone’ why you went to the party?”

“No,” he answered. “She’s got nothing to do with this.” Although Sen was practically half a stranger to him, Bumi felt oddly protective of her. He was not about to let her be dragged into the conversation. “I went to the party because I wanted to unwind with one drink.”

His mother folded her arms. “It sounds like you had more than that. Unless you make a habit out of turning the sides of buildings into your personal bathroom?”

“I didn’t mean to stay as long as I did.”

“Then why did you?”

Aang put a hand on his wife’s forearm. “What’s done is done. We can’t change what happened last night. Toph dropped the charges, so let’s just move on.” Bumi looked at his dad in amazement. Yet Aang’s eyes were fixed on the astrolabe on the desk. “We need to talk about the future.”

In an instant, any hope Bumi might have felt vanished. “But...Mom, yesterday you said that you weren’t pulling me out.”

“Yesterday _you_ said you would spend the weekend studying,” Katara said. She paused to look at Aang and sighed before continuing. “You also said you didn’t know if Zoology was right for you.”

“Son,” Aang began, “it seems like it’s not holding your interest. You haven’t even been on probation a week and you...” he let his voice trail off.

Katara helped him out. “The bottom line is, do you _want_ to finish this degree? There are other options—acolyte training, or—”

“I want to finish,” Bumi said without hesitation. He was certain that their ideas of ‘other options’ would not be appealing.

His parents looked at one another again. Aang nodded gravely, before turning his gaze back on his son. “Then you can do that...while living here.”

It took a moment for Bumi to comprehend the words. “Here? The island? You—you can’t mean that.”

Aang looked helplessly towards Katara. “We do,” she said. “We let you try to do this yourself, but in the past two years you’ve switched majors half a dozen times, landed yourself on academic probation, and now, gotten yourself arrested.”

“I—” Bumi could barely think straight. He felt angry tears stinging his eyes. “I just...you don’t understand!” He could hear how juvenile his words sounded.

Katara put her hand on the desk, as if reaching for him. “Bumi, I know how hard this must be for you. You’re blazing your own trail. Kya, Tenzin—they know what their lives are going to be like.” Bumi felt like throwing something. He moved to sit on his hands as his mother continued. “And you’ve always been understimulated at school...since you were little. This isn’t a punishment; we think it’s for your own good.”

“I’m going to be the laughing stock of the university.” It was one thing when he made the jokes, but this... He shook his head. “Don’t do this. My friends...”

“You’ll be able to see them on the weekends,” Aang said. “The White Lotus will be happy to give you rides to and from our island.”

“Please,” Bumi said. He was not above begging—not with his apartment on the line. “Give me a chance. I can turn this around, I know I can. Give me the semester.”

“Well,” Aang began, “Maybe if you turn it around this semester, we’ll let you move back to your apartment. But, right now...” he gave his wife an expectant look.

“Right now, your father and I need to be able to trust you again,” Katara finished. “We don’t think your friends are good influences, Bumi. I think living away from them might help.”

“You don’t know them!” he protested. “You’ve never given them a chance. I can choose my own friends.”

“We’re not telling you that you can’t,” Aang said. “The monks used to say that a distracted mind can never hold knowledge. You might hear something, yet never understand its meaning. Being here during the week can help you refocus.”

Bumi folded his arms. “I don’t think the monks were talking about Zoology.”

Aang smiled wanly. “No,” he admitted, “but I think you’ll find the perspective helpful.” He turned towards Katara. “I want to head down to the docks. Toph should be arriving soon.”

“I think she knows the way to the dining hall by now, Sweetie.”

“Yes, but she’s bringing the girls...” Aang rose.

“Alright,” Katara said, with a small sigh.

Aang kissed her on the head, rounded the table, and put a hand on Bumi’s shoulder. For a moment, it seemed as though he might say something. But instead, he removed his arm and whisked out of the room so fast Bumi could have sworn he was airbending.

Bumi stared across the desk at his mother. All the anger from her eyes had left, replaced with what looked like exhaustion. _Did she look this old yesterday?_ “Say what you’re thinking,” she said, calmly.

“Please don’t do this. It was one mistake.”

“Was it?” Katara asked, skeptically. Bumi felt his heart freeze, but she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she shook her head and said, “Bumi, I really thought you had heard what I was saying yesterday. I’m so disappointed.”

Shame bubbled up inside him. “I’m sorry.”

“Then you understand why we’re doing this.”

“But you can trust me. I don’t need babysitters.”

Katara pushed her chair back and stood. “No, but I think some structure will help. You should cleanup for dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll get you moved out.” She began to walk towards the door.

“At least let me do that on my own,” he pleaded. “Let me have _some_ dignity.”

Katara stopped by the doorway and looked back. “Bumi,” she sighed, “your father and I aren’t the ones taking away your dignity.”

Bumi stayed sitting until he heard his mother’s footsteps disappear. “This can’t be happening,” he said out-loud. The empty office did not respond. He glanced around, as if only suddenly aware of the airbender scrolls and relics adorning the walls and filling every nook and cranny. Bumi shoved his chair away from the desk angrily, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to leave the room.

He made his way down the hall into the bathroom, where he splashed cold water onto his face. He patted himself dry with a towel, pressed it tightly against his nose and mouth, and screamed.

“Bumi?” a voice called uncertainly.

He turned. “Oh, hey there, Tenzin.”

The airbender stood in the bathroom doorway, looking somehow smaller than Bumi had remembered. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Just cleaning up for dinner,” Bumi answered as nonchalantly as he could.

“Are you staying over tonight?”

The question felt like a punch to the stomach. “Actually, it looks like I’ll be staying here awhile.” He could see the confusion on his brother’s face. “Mom and Dad want me to move back home for a little.”

Tenzin gave a solemn nod. “That must be what they were talking about when Mom got home. Dad skipped our five o’clock meditation. He only does that when he’s really upset. When I finished, I saw him and Mom coming out of the temple together.” He frowned and looked up. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, of course. I just...did something stupid.” Bumi suddenly remembered Katara’s _‘was it?’_. “Hey, Tenzin—” He crouched down and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You uh—you didn’t tell Mom about my accident the other night, did you?”

Tenzin’s eyes grew wide. “What? No! I promise! I even wore the same pants for a week until Kya helped me sneak laundry.”

Bumi straightened up, somehow feeling worse by the assurance. “Right...sorry ‘bout that. Hey, we should head on over to dinner. Aunt Toph is coming.”

“Is she bringing Lin and Su?” Tenzin asked hopefully.

He and Toph’s eldest daughter were only a year a part, and of a kind at that. It was hard to tell which child was more obedient. Bumi had always found the younger daughter more entertaining. Though she was only five, Suyin had a fiery personality and a wild imagination. Still, he was glad for Tenzin to have a friend; his brother’s intense airbender training left him little time to be around others his age. In a few years, new acolyte recruits could take care of that, but for the time being, Tenzin seemed to be lonely.

Bumi looked down and smiled. “Yeah, they’re coming.”

Tenzin’s face lit up. “Really? Are they here yet? I’m going to go down to the docks to greet them!” With that, his brother turned and ran off at such speed that the window shutters blew open.

Bumi moved at the opposite pace. “It’s a shame I _don’t_ have my stuff from my apartment,” he mumbled, as he made his way towards the dormitory’s exit. He still had some pipe weed under his mattress that he had been saving for a rainy day. _Anything to get through this dinner_.

He tried not to think about what his friends were doing—likely having a round before getting ready for Vacco’s party. It was the party he had been most looking forward to for the past two weeks. All of Bumi’s friends from his days as a philosophy major would be there. And Sen... Bumi shook his head. It was too painful to think about that. She would assume he blew her off. _Maybe I can stop by her shop tomorrow_ , Bumi thought, _and explain_. But if his parents went with him to move out, he was unlikely to get a chance. “Ahh, she’s better off anyway,” he muttered under his breath, stepping outside.

It was a cool, clear night, and the air smelled of fresh salt coming off the bay. Under different circumstances, Bumi might have enjoyed the break from the city. He spotted Kya sitting on the meditation pavilion, Seppa next to her. The two seemed absorbed in conversation, yet he hadn’t taken more than ten steps towards the dining hall when he heard his sister call his name.

He turned to see both girls rising. Seppa and Kya exchanged words Bumi could not quite hear. The acolyte then hurried off, only sparing a quick glance in his direction. His sister crossed the pavilion to where he stood. “I heard what happened,” she said, crossing her arms.

“What, did Mom tell you?”

“She told me that you were arrested last night and that Dad was picking you up. What did you do?”

“Nothing. It was just a mistake,” Bumi said, feeling irritable. He already had to listen to Katara’s admonishments; he did not need this from Kya as well.

 “Are you in trouble?” she pressed.

Bumi turned and began walking to the dining hall. “I’m moving back here for the semester,” he said.

“So...yes,” Kya concluded, following close behind.

That brought a small smile to Bumi’s face. “It could be worse though.” He put his hands in his pockets. “They could have insisted on acolyte training.”

“Don’t worry: I’m sure Dad will _still_ find some way to talk about the monks at every meal.”

Bumi stopped in his tracks and looked back at his sister. “I had this coming, didn’t I?”

She hesitated. “Well, you haven’t been very...careful, have you?”

“Thanks, _Mom_.” He began walking once more.

“You asked my opinion!”

 _Because I thought you were on my side_. “Sometimes you’re just like Tenzin.”

Kya gave a sigh of disgust. “There’s worse things Bumi. Whatever happened last night was only two weeks after you nearly bled to death under Tenzin’s bed. Maybe you _do_ need to move back.”

He whipped around. “You told Mom, didn’t you?”

“No! How could you say that? After what I did for you?” Kya said angrily. “Heal yourself next time!”

“Keep your voice down,” Bumi shot back. “We can’t have _you_ getting in trouble too, can we? Might make it harder for you to sneak around with Seppa.”

Kya’s voice was ice. “Don’t take this out on me.”

“Whatever, let’s just get this meal over with.” He knew she was right, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. Her words had cut too deeply. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Everyone else was already seated when he and Kya walked through the door. Aang wore a small smile on his face, though Katara looked grim. Across from them sat Toph, and to Bumi’s surprise, Sokka, who held Suyin on his lap. At the other end of the table, Tenzin and Lin sat across from one another, leaning in to speak in low voices.

It was Suyin who looked towards the door first. “Kya! Bumi!” she shouted. In her excitement, she placed a hand squarely in a bowl of rice.

Sokka laughed and drew her arm back, lazily wiping the grains to the ground. “Hello there! Good to see you Bumi, how are you?”

“Well, he certainly seems more energetic than this morning,” Toph answered, her eyes fixed blankly ahead.

“Toph, the _kids_ ,” Katara warned.

“Not a fan of cautionary tales?” she quipped. Sokka seemed to find that amusing, until Aang shot him a look.

Kya slid into the bench next to her mother, who greeted her a with warm smile. Bumi picked the seat next to Lin, as far away from his parents as possible. With any luck, they would forget about him once the meal started.

“Uncle Aang!” Suyin called, “I just learned a song in school! Do you want to hear it?”

Aang grinned at the five year-old. “Sure! Let’s hear it.”

“Oh just wait,” Sokka said, a mischievous smile spreading on his face.

Suyin sat up in his lap and cleared her throat, before singing as loudly as possible. It was a children’s song Bumi remembered learning some time ago, but the more she sang of it, the more it became clear someone rewrote the lyrics to make it as bawdy as possible. Next to him, Lin stiffened.

_“Here’s the story of old Omashu!_

_Prior to Shu, Oma never knew;_ _Earthbending powers that came, when she would too;_

 _But when Shu died, Oma went and cried;_ _For without her man, she had only her hand;_

 _That could not meet, her insatiable need;_ _Nor could one village do, she required at least two;_

_And that’s why she formed Omashu!”_

Tenzin’s eyes were as big as the dinner plates by the time she finished. Katara looked stunned, while Kya fought a smile. Sokka threw his head back with a laugh. “See Aang? And it doesn’t get old, even after hearing it three times on the way over!”

“Try hearing it eight times before breakfast,” Toph said, smirking.

“She learned that at school?” Katara managed.

“A friend of mine taught me!” Suyin answered happily.

Toph shrugged. “Sounds like the teacher has his hands full. Su, go take your seat. We’re going to eat soon.”

“But Uncle Sokka doesn’t mind me here, do you?” she protested.

Sokka smiled. “Well, I might not mind, but I know better than to defy your mother.”

“Oh do you now?” Toph shot back. “You could have fooled me.” She jabbed at his side with two fingers.

Had Suyin not already been sliding off of his lap, she would have surely fallen as Sokka moved to avoid the police chief’s attack. He managed to catch Toph’s hand in the process. “You know you can’t best my warrior reflexes,” he quipped.

“Is that right? Careful; you’re asking for a test.”

“Oh look, the soup,” Aang called uncomfortably, as a pair of acolytes walked in carrying dishes. Sokka let go of Toph, and Suyin rounded the table to slide in across from Bumi.

“That was uh—good,” he said to her, unsure what else he could say.

“There’s a second verse I can teach you if you want,” she offered.

“Maybe some other time,” Aang called from his end of the table.

Suyin looked like she wanted to protest, but before she could say anything, Kya spoke. “Lin, how’s your metalbending going?”

“Oh!” Lin said, surprised at the question. “It’s uh...it’s going alright.” She dropped her eyes to the metal cuff she wore around her wrist, as if that would answer it for her. “I mean, it’s hard, but I’m learning how to use cables to climb.”

“I can metalbend too!” Suyin called.

Lin glared at her sister. “No you can’t!”

“I can too! Mom said she felt her meteor bracelet move because of _me_. Right, Mom?”

“I did say that,” Toph answered, spooning soup into her mouth. “But was I telling the truth? Maybe I was lying to test you.”

“No you weren’t!” Suyin said, looking upset. “I _know_ I bent it!”

“I didn’t see it move,” Lin said sullenly into her own soup.

“Toph, you wouldn’t really lie without at least telling them, right?” Katara asked scornfully.

Toph’s let out a small laugh. “Are you trying to give parenting advice? Today?”

Katara look as if she had been struck. Aang and Sokka exchanged uncomfortable glances. “What does everyone think of the bending tournament they’re trying to organize?” Sokka tried. “Waterbenders facing off against earthbenders?”

Aang jumped at the subject change, adding something about the two’s bracket, but at Bumi’s end of the table, Tenzin leaned over his bowl. “What did Aunt Toph mean?” he asked his brother.

“I don’t know,” Bumi lied, his face feeling hot. He forced soup into his mouth, hoping others would do the same so that the meal could end quickly.

It did not. Though Bumi’s strategy of sitting away from the adults did keep the focus off of him, it also came at the cost of not being able to hear any conversation past what Lin, Tenzin, and Suyin were saying. At first Bumi had found the childish banter amusing; Suyin tried quizzing him on every type of animal, and then would ask him which ones would win in a fight, while Lin would roll her eyes and Tenzin would laugh uncomfortably.

But by the time the main course came, their talk had changed to Lin and Suyin’s earthbending training and school. Bumi had never been more acutely aware of the nine years that separated him and his brother as he was watching Tenzin giggle along at the girls’ stories, to the point where lychee juice nearly came out of his nose.

Bumi felt like he was eating alone. _I shouldn’t have yelled at Kya_ , he thought to himself more than once.  Yet his sister was turned away from him, towards their mother and Toph. The trio seemed engaged in deep conversation, while at the far end of the table, Sokka and Aang laughed together. Every now and then, Aang would cast a furtive look around the table, which only served to make Bumi wonder if he was the topic of conversation.

The minutes seemed to drag on. Bumi had long since finished his meal, instead, absentmindedly moving the rice around his bowl in small piles. He wondered if his friends were at Vacco’s party by now. _Do they even know where I am? Do they care?_ Skipper would assume he left last night with a girl and opted to stay with her for the day. Gor would be worried, but unless Chugs decided it was worth asking about, wouldn’t do anything on his own. And Chugs—Chugs liked his weekends to unwind.

 _Maybe if Sen shows up, she’ll find out I’m missing and won’t be mad_. But would she know who to ask? And worse, would she be able to get through a conversation with his friends without them being too inappropriate? _Or will she like Skipper?_ All the girls seemed to.

“Right Bumi?” Tenzin’s voice cut through.

He jumped and dropped his chopsticks. “What?”

“You’re moving back here?”

Bumi nodded, but the words stuck in his throat. Suyin beamed. “So you’ll be here for lots more dinners?” she asked, loudly.

Kya overheard. She turned back to look at Bumi. He tried to focus on the five year-old. “I—yeah, looks like it.”

Lin frowned. “Why? You gonna be an air acolyte?”

“No,” he answered, too quickly. The harshness of his voice caused Lin to inch away, towards her mother.

Toph seemed to notice. “What’s this? Bumi’s going to be an acolyte now?”

Aang and Sokka stopped talking abruptly. Katara looked at her friend in confusion, but it was Kya who answered. “No, Lin was just asking because Bumi’s moving back.”

“Why _don’t_ you become an acolyte?” Suyin asked. “They can’t bend either.”

“It’s not for everyone,” Aang answered quickly.

“Yeah, do you want _me_ to be an acolyte too?” Sokka asked.

“No, that’d be silly,” Suyin said.

Tenzin looked thoughtful. “If every nonbender was an acolyte, the Air Nation would be the largest.”

“We are hoping to grow, Son,” Aang said. “It will take time. At least the temples are up and running again.”

“Toph, you should take the girls to the Southern Air Temple,” Katara suggested. “You should see what they’re doing with the grounds.”

“I’m sure it will feel just like any other earth,” she laughed.

Bumi could take no more. “Dad, may I be excused?”

Aang frowned. “But we’re having egg custard tart for dessert. Don’t you want some?”

“No, I’m not that hungry.”

“Not everyone’s finished eating, Bumi,” Katara said. “At least stay until our plates are cleared.”

He folded his arms. “What difference does it make?” He was aware of every eye on him, but he was past caring. From his periphery, he could see Lin gaping at him.

“Listen to your mother,” Aang said sternly. “Do you mind passing me the soy sauce?”

“Why don’t you just _airbend_ the soy sauce?!” Bumi exclaimed. As the words escaped his mouth, he heard how stupid they sounded. He climbed out of his seat.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Katara asked.

“Don’t worry; no where I can’t be babysat.” He turned on his heel and marched out of the room before anyone said another word.

Once outside, Bumi realized he had nowhere to go. He contemplated stealing a boat, but to set up the sails was more than a one person job. And white Lotus guards would be at the stables, which ruled bison out. He was truly trapped. Cursing, he made his way towards the cliffs that overlooked the city. Bumi found a good vantage point and sat, staring towards the lights... towards his friends.

He couldn’t bring himself to cry, and screaming would only call guards to him. He rubbed his head with his hands, realizing how tired he was. He had managed to sleep in the cell, but it wasn’t as long or comfortable a night as he needed. He cursed again, before mumbling, “Why couldn’t I have just held it?”

“Because you drank too much,” a voice said behind him. It was Toph.

“Wondered who they’d send after me,” Bumi said bitterly.

“I volunteered. Felt a little guilty for landing you here.” She drew just short of him, and with one stomp on the ground, produced a mound of earth on which she took a seat. “But my hands were tied. When I realized it was you in that cell, I had to call your dad.”

“My friends have been arrested on the same charges before, and they got to go home in the morning.”

“Great friends,” Toph said flatly. “They still have that on their record. I dropped your charges.”

Bumi didn’t know if he was supposed to thank her for that, but it was about the last thing he felt like doing. He turned back towards glaring at the city.

“Oh quit that brooding. I can feel your angry breathing, you know. So your parents are making you live at home. Big deal.”

“Big deal?” Bumi turned to face her, though he knew it wouldn’t make a difference to her. “I’m twenty. You were eleven when you ran away from _your_ parents.”

“Yeah, but they weren’t letting me be who I am. You’re still going to school, aren’t you?” Toph asked.

“It’s not the same. And it’s...it’s...” Bumi struggled to find the words. “Yesterday my mom’s telling me she understands how hard it is for me to find my place in the world. Today, she’s locking me up and preventing me from finding it myself. And my dad...he won’t even _say_ anything.”

“Well that’s Twinkle Toes for you. What, you want him to decide your life for you?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just...they’re not even giving me a chance to fix this.”

Toph leaned back. “Why does it even need fixing in the first place? You’re smart enough to study...whatever it is you’re studying now.”

“I don’t know if zoology is right for me,” Bumi said quietly.

“You know what your problem is? You won’t commit to anything.” Toph leaned closer. “You want to feel like you have a place in the world, is that it? Then just pick something. If you want to be a zoologist, go be a zoologist. Your parents are still letting you take the courses. But actually _commit_. Don’t go drinking on Thursday nights to the point where you’re peeing on the sidewalk.”

“But what if I don’t like it? Or what if I get my degree, but my job doesn’t make me happy?”

“You think being the Chief of Police makes me _happy_? You think your uncle _likes_ being a councilman? He hates it! But it’s his job, and he takes it seriously. I don’t get _happy_ stopping crime. But I’m damn good at it, because I work at it. We all do. Even your dad didn’t want to be The Avatar.” Toph paused and leaned back again. “You’re _lucky_ that you even have choices.”

“But that means I still need to pick,” Bumi said, miserably. “How am I supposed to do that when I have no idea what I want?”

“It’s not about _what_ you want to be...it’s about _who_ you want to be. And me?” Toph rose. “I want to be the greatest earthbender in the world,” she said, flexing. “Your uncle wants to be the ‘idea guy’ who fixes everything, and your dad wants to bring balance to the world. They’re doing that. Your job is whatever you make it. Who you are is what counts.”

 _But who I am is the problem_ , Bumi thought.


	4. The Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bumi trains with his uncle Sokka, but his day quickly takes a turn.
> 
> Content warnings for this chapter:  
> -Drug use (marijuana)
> 
> Original characters:  
> -Skipper: Bumi's best friend and apartment-mate  
> -Chugs: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Gor: Another one of Bumi's apartment-mates & friends  
> -Sen: the girl Bumi walked home from the party  
> -Fayin: a political science student who Skipper was attempting to date

Bumi saw the blade hit his shoulder. For a moment, all he felt was the vibration in his arm from his failed, partial block. Then the pain came. It was sharp and stinging, and spread in an instant to his fingertips, causing him to drop the sword. He bit his tongue to stop from crying out, but instinctively grabbed at the wound with his good hand.

“Woah, sorry about that!” Sokka said. The moment he heard steel hit the ground, he stood upright from his attack position. “Good thing we’re using the blunted blades! I could have taken your arm off!”

Bumi made himself laugh, though he could feel his face growing hot. “Guess I got out of practice.” He shook his still-tingling hand. “Same set?” he asked.

Sokka looked apprehensive. “Let’s take a short break. We’ll sit on that bench, just to catch our breath.”

“I don’t need to catch my breath.” The last thing Bumi wanted was to be coddled.

“Well I do! I’m not as young as I used to be.” He crossed the courtyard before his nephew could raise another objection. Grudgingly, Bumi followed, leaving his sword in the dirt. As they sat, Sokka held his own sword out in front of him and turned his wrist, testing the balance as if he hadn’t been using it for the half hour. “Master Piandao said that your sword should feel like an extension of your body, but this one…” He slashed at the air a few times, before laying the blunted blade across his lap and looking over at Bumi. “If you decide you want to get serious about this, we’ll have to have you forge your own sword.”

“Do you think I’m ready for that?”

Sokka shrugged. “I was no master when I forged mine. It’s about having a blade that is as much a part of you as waterbending is for your mother.”

Bumi looked away from his uncle, across the courtyard of the council building. “I don’t know if I want to get serious.”

“Well hopefully I didn’t discourage you with that blow to the shoulder,” Sokka said with a laugh. “Take it from me: good sparring partners _always_ leave you bruised. You should see what I look like after Toph gets done with me.”

“You train with Aunt Toph? What about Aunt Suki?”

Sokka scratched his ear. “We uh. We’re too well-matched.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “Besides, I like to train against benders.”

“Maybe I could convince Kya to fight me. She might want to anyway,” Bumi said darkly. Though nearly a month had passed since he had moved back to the island, little had been done to ease the tension between him and his sister. He knew he would need to be the one to apologize, yet seeing her with their mother every day only reminded him of her disapproving words.

“Trust me, you _don’t_ want to fight a waterbender. At least not with any streams nearby. Any fight I’ve had with my sister has been wildly unpleasant.”

“Well I doubt Tenzin would agree to a duel.”

“He might,” Sokka said with a shrug, “but no point training against an airbender. You’ll be related to all of them, and that _should_ mean never facing them in battle.”

“Eh, he’d just avoid my attacks until I got tired anyway.” Bumi sighed. “I’ll have to find another way to practice at home.”

“You could go landscaping. I know it’s been a little since we’ve gone.” _It’s been nearly five years_ , Bumi thought, His uncle continued. “But that’s definitely something worth practicing. I’m sure your parents would be okay with a White Lotus guard going with you. If this is what you want, I might be able to convince Suki to take you, even if she does mock some of Master Piandao’s methods.”

“As long as it’s not calligraphy,” Bumi muttered. His attempts always turned out as utter messes. He looked sideways at his uncle. “Do you think I should become a swordsman? That would mean I wasted the last two years in school.”

“Well I’m sure you learned _something_ that matters,” Sokka said. “Like with this zoology. Now, if you come across a saber-tooth moose lion, you’ll know how to stop a charging mother, unlike me.”

“I thought Dad stopped it with his airbending.”

“Oh right. But still, useful knowledge for a warrior. But you could also finish school, if you like it. Has studying been better for you since moving back?”

Bumi fought the urge to leave to the bench. “It’s sometimes hard to focus.” _It’s always hard to focus_.

“Well,” Sokka said, bringing his hand to his chin, “it’s just like sword fighting. You need to stamp your identity on school. Figure out the _Bumi_ way to study.”

“Uh...right,” he managed.

His uncle clapped him on the back. “But, I have no doubt that if you want to master the sword, you’ll be able to do it in no time.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! You’ve got natural talent. I bet you could even become a White Lotus guard if you train hard enough!”

It was almost too much. Bumi rose quickly. “Can we practice the next set?”

“Sure, don’t see why not.”

Sokka stood and flipped his sword in his hand. Yet Bumi hadn’t even walked five steps to retrieve his own when a voice called out from balcony. “Sokka, Councilmen Qopuk just got back and says there’s an urgent matter.” It belonged to Aang. After a moment he spotted Bumi. “Oh—hello, Son. How was practice?”

“Qopuk _always_ says there are urgent matters,” Sokka whined before Bumi could speak. “Can you find out what it is first?”

“It’ll be better if we get it over with,” Aang said with a smirk. “Bumi, how did you get to class today?”

“By boat,” he answered. “You needed the acolytes to run errands, remember?”

“Oh yeah. Sorry I had to cut this short. Let me go grab you a guard to walk you back.”

“I can find the docks on my own!” Bumi said hotly.

Aang recoiled at the harshness of his son’s voice. “I didn’t mean you couldn’t. I was just...” He took a deep, meditative breath. “No guard then.” He managed a smile.

“I can clean up here, Bumi,” Sokka said, walking towards the sword still lying on the ground. “Next time, let’s practice at the arena to get me _away_ from my duties.” Aang chuckled from above.

Bumi’s shoulder was throbbing as he left the council building. It was just past midday—the acolytes wouldn’t be expecting him for another hour. Normally, he had an afternoon lab on Wednesdays, but he had managed to finish his experiment and report the week prior. He had been so happy with himself that he had told his parents about it over dinner. Yet now, he could kick himself for it. _If I had just kept my mouth shut, I could have had the entire day to myself_.

He decided to make the most of his hour, and turned towards the direction of campus. Gor would be at his internship, and he couldn’t remember Chugs’s Wednesday schedule, but Bumi knew that Skipper would be in the apartment, most likely just waking up. It would be nice to catch up with his best friend one-on-one before having to face Air Temple Island again.

Bumi had no sooner entered his the building when once again, the smell of pipe weed filled the air. _Maybe it’s someone else_. Yet with every step the smell intensified. When at last he opened the door to the apartment, he was greeted by a thin cloud. All three of his roommates were there; Chugs and Gor shared the couch, while Skipper was stretched out in the chair. They looked lazily in his direction. “Oh hey, Bumi!” Chugs called.

“How are you?” Gor said.

Bumi shut the door and waved his hand in front of his face. “You might want to open the window.”

“And bring the cops down on us?” Skipper asked, rolling his eyes. “Great plan.” He reached out to the table and grabbed a fruit that seemed to be giving off smoke. “Here have some.”

“Is that a papaya?” Bumi asked, making his way towards them. Chugs slid closer to Gor so that he could sit down on the couch.

“Gor’s finest work yet, I think,” Chugs said with a laugh.

Bumi took his seat. “You don’t have class today?” he asked.

Chugs shrugged. “We wanted to celebrate the midweek. One day won’t hurt.”

“Gor, what about your internship?”

Gor leaned over Chugs to answer. “They convinced me it would still be here tomorrow,” he said, a sheepish smile on his face.

“You gonna take this or not?” Skipper’s arm was still extended, the papaya bong in hand.

Bumi’s head already felt like it was swimming. “I’m okay.”

Skipper snorted and let the fruit fall back to the table. “What did I tell you? One month there and they’ve already made him into a monk.”

“I’m no monk!” Bumi said irritably. When Skipper only responded with a lazy wave of his hand, Bumi tried again. “So what’s new?”

Chugs gave a half-shrug, but Gor answered. “Mostly the same. Henri had his party busted a few days ago. Oh! That reminds me...” he glanced between Chugs and Skipper.

“Right,” Chugs said. “Yeah, Bumi, it’s a good thing you turned up. We’re gonna need your key.” His tone was friendly, but the words felt like a slap to the face.

“My key?”

“Yeah, we’re looking for a new roommate.”

“But I might be able to move back after this semester.”

“And until then, we have an empty room,” Skipper said in a bored tone.

Bumi tried to keep his voice even. “I thought my parents gave you a few months’ rent when I moved out. I’m sure I could talk to them about paying through the semester.”

Chugs looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know Bumi—we really could use the money _now_.” Gor nodded in agreement. Skipper, meanwhile, had put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Defeated, Bumi dug his key out of his pocket and threw it on the table.

“I mean, talk to your parents,” Chugs said. “Maybe if it seems like you’ll definitely be moving back here—”

“Yeah, sure.”

Skipper picked his head up. “Aw, come on, cheer up. Hey, I know tomorrow’s only Thursday, but you think you might be allowed to go to a party?”

Bumi ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know...you know how they get.”

“Well you should try. Ilala invited me to a party downtown. Supposed to be nuts.”

“Ilala? Isn’t that one of Fayin’s housemates?”

Skipper craned his neck to look him full in the face. “Yeah.”

“Well what about Fayin?” Bumi asked, an odd annoyance spreading through him.

“What about her?” Skipper said with a laugh. Bumi forced himself to do the same. _Why did I want to come here?_

“Oh yeah, Bumi, there was some girl asking after you at Vacco’s party,” Chugs said suddenly. “You know, the night after you were arrested.”

 _Sen_. “What did you tell her?”

Gor answered, “Well, we didn’t know where you were.”

Chugs nodded in agreement. “We just told her we hadn’t seen you all day.”

“That’s it?” Bumi asked. “Did she ever come by here after that?”

“Yeah man, she’s just been _pining_ for you this whole time,” Skipper said, rolling his eyes. “What is with you today? Take a hit, okay? You need to relax”

Bumi folded his arms. “No.” He could feel Chugs and Gor looking intently. “I uh...I’m sword training with my uncle later. Need to stay sharp.”

“Seriously?” Chugs asked. “Are you thinking about dropping out then?”

“I don’t know. Fighting definitely seems preferable to school, but I don’t know if it’s what I want in the long-run.”

“If you do decide to pursue it, would you be allowed to move back here?” Gor asked.

“Yeah,” Chugs said enthusiastically. “It’s not like there’d be academic probation to worry about. Hey, maybe that will solve our rent problem.”

“I...don’t know,” Bumi admitted. Somehow, he doubted it.

Skipper let his head flop back again. “Well you shouldn’t do anything that traps you on that island for longer,” he said. “At least with zoology or whatever it is you’re studying now, you have a chance to get off after the semester.”

Bumi frowned. “It’s not that bad,” he said. His head felt like it was spinning from the smoky air. _I should just leave_.

“Right, not that bad,” Skipper continued with a yawn. “You’re just stuck there with a bunch of sycophants lining up to lick your dad’s boots. But I guess at least that distracts from your mom’s nagging or your sister—”

Bumi didn’t remember leaving the couch, but the next thing he knew, he had tackled Skipper cleanly out of his chair. He cocked his fist, but Skipper slammed a hand into Bumi’s shoulder. The pain was instantaneous and clouded his vision. Reason gave way to instinct, and Bumi punched as hard as he could with his left hand. The blow glanced off of Skipper’s ear, barely grazing the side of his head. The punch Skipper answered with was better aimed. Bumi felt the knuckles hit his cheekbone, and heard his nose crunch.

Past caring, Bumi swung back with his injured arm, trying to put as much force into it as possible. It never made contact. Then Chugs and Gor were on him, dragging him away. Skipper pushed himself into a sitting position. “What is wrong with you?”

Bumi wrenched free of Chug’s grip, but Gor’s hands were iron. “You don’t know them.” Blood ran from his nose into his mouth. He spit on the floor.

Skipper hopped to his feet with surprising agility and walked up so his face was only inches from Bumi. Chugs put a restraining hand on his chest, but Skipper ignored him. “No, I don’t know _you_.” With that, he pushed past all three of them and made his way to his room. When he slammed the door, the entire apartment shook.

“Maybe you should go,” Chugs said in a cold voice. Gor let go of Bumi but said nothing, staring at him as if he had never seen him before.

“Yeah,” Bumi said, rolling his injured arm. “Yeah, I’m gone.”

The air outside was so fresh compared to the apartment that it nearly hurt Bumi’s lungs. He wiped at his face with his sleeve. The nosebleed would stop on its own, but given the way his cheekbone was throbbing, he would probably end up with a black eye. _I could say it was from sword training_ , he mused. Yet Sokka would no doubt refute that if Katara or Aang asked.

“All things considered, if I told them the truth, they might be happy,” he muttered under his breath. Bumi knew he needed to get to the docks, yet somehow he found his feet walking in the opposite direction. He could not have said what impulse carried him, but before long, he was outside Sen’s shop.

He paused on the sidewalk. “Why am I even here?” _She won’t want to see me_. But where else was there for him to go? Bumi took a breath and pushed the door open. A bell attached to it gave off a small tinkling sound.

The shop was empty, except for Sen. She was arranging books on a shelf. “I’ll be right with you,” she called over her shoulder.

Bumi fought the urge to run out the door. “Hey, Sen,” he said.

She turned, and her eyes grew wide. “Bumi? What happened?” She shook her head. “I mean—what are you doing here?” She walked towards where he was standing.

“I uh—I wanted to see you.”

Sen gave a sarcastic laugh. “Oh I’m sure of that.” She folded her arms, her green eyes regarding him coldly.

He scratched the back of his neck. “Look, I owe you an apology.”

“It’s a bit late for that, Bumi. I think you should—” The sound of footsteps from the back of the shop interrupted her. She turned her head quickly, causing her braid to nearly whip Bumi in the face. He found that oddly enticing.

A middle-aged man emerged from behind a curtain. Balding and bespectacled, with a round belly, he cut an unimpressive figure. “Sen, who’s there?” he asked. “Do you need any help?”

“It’s no one, Dad,” she answered impatiently.

He peered past her, towards Bumi. “You’re bleeding!”

“Oh, I uh...” he put a hand to his nose instinctively.

“I’ll go grab you a towel!”

“No, Dad—” Sen called, but the man had already run behind the curtain again. She turned back towards Bumi. “Are you happy now?”

“A little,” he answered with a grin. “Though it’s not the first impression I was _hoping_ to make on your dad.”

“You’re dangerously close to this being your last impression.”

“Look,” he grabbed her shoulder, “I was arrested for public drunkenness the night we met, which is why I wasn’t at the party the next night.”

She shook away. “That was a month ago! Were you locked up this whole time?”

“Here you go!” Sen’s dad reappeared, a towel in hand. “I ran it under warm water for you.”

“Thank you,” Bumi said, taking the cloth. He held it up to his nose, feeling foolish. “Sorry, for bleeding in your shop, Sir.”

“You can call me Ozuru. And it’s no trouble; this is always a slow time anyway.”

“I’m Bumi. You uh—have a lovely shop here.” In truth, it seemed like a rather ordinary general good’s store, but he couldn’t think what else to say.

“Yes, well Sen keeps it in ship-shape. I take it you two know each other?”

“Barely,” Sen answered. “I met him when I was visiting Iku at the university.”

“Uh...right,” Bumi agreed. She glared at him.

Ozuru adjusted his glasses. “Well, is everything okay? You were in a fight, it seems.”

“Everything’s fine,” he answered. “A friend of mine just...he’s not a very good friend, I guess. He said some things about my family.”

Ozuru raised his eyebrows, but it was Sen who responded. “You had things to say about your family when we talked.”

“That’s different.” Bumi removed the towel from his nose. The movement caused his shoulder to throb again. He grimaced.

“You hurt your arm too?” Ozuru asked.

“Oh that was from sword fighting with my uncle.”

“You must have quite the exciting life,” he joked.

“Well he should,” Sen said, “he’s the son of—”

“We were just practicing,” Bumi cut in. “I’m considering dropping out of school to become a warrior.” He didn’t know what made him blurt it out.

“Do you mean a soldier?” Ozuru asked, confused.

“I—don’t know exactly.”

Sen moved a hand to her hip. “Would that take some pressure off from your family?”

Bumi looked at her. Her expression was almost one of concern. “I don’t know...I can’t tell if they want me to finish school or not.”

“From what you told me, it just sounded like your mom wanted you to find your place.”

He shook his head. “But that was before my...” he paused, looking towards Ozuru.

“Your arrest?” she finished.

Her father frowned. “I thought you two barely knew each other.”

Sen blushed. “We uh—we had a long conversation, that’s all, Dad.”

“You were arrested?” Ozuru cast a suspicious glance in Bumi’s direction.

He reddened. “Yes, Sir. Just for a night. An officer was trying to teach me a lesson.”

“And your parents didn’t take it well?” Sen asked.

Bumi shook his head. “They made me move back home. That’s why I never...” he looked at her in mute appeal, not knowing how much he could say in front of her father.

She gave a curt nod. “So you’re worried dropping out will disappoint them more?”

“I don’t know,” he answered miserably. “I don’t even know _what’s_ expected of me.”

Ozuru looked back and forth from his daughter to Bumi, a bemused expression on his face. At last, he said, “Look, Son, I know very little about you, and even less about your situation. But I can say that families are tricky. My mother still doesn’t approve of my life here—of this shop.” He gestured around. “All I wanted was to live in the new city, though. So I made that happen, and forced myself to stop worrying about her expectations. So what if she doesn’t approve? I have bread on the table, a wife I love, and two daughters who I am very proud of.”

“ _Dad_ ,” Sen said, embarrassed.

“Well it’s true. And hopefully this is a lesson I’ve taught you too.”

Bumi suddenly felt sick, as if he couldn’t breathe. He was about to ask for a glass of water when the door to the shop opened again. All three turned.

An elderly woman with a cane hobbled in. “Good afternoon,” Ozuru called.

Sen pushed Bumi lightly. “I’ll take him outside, Dad.”

“Thank you, Sweetie,” he said, hurrying over towards the customer.

Sen whisked Bumi out the door before he could say a word. “What was that all about?” he asked, once they were on the sidewalk.

“Well we can’t have you standing there with a bloody towel, Bumi. Some customers find that off-putting, you know.”

“Is that so?” Bumi asked playfully. “I think your dad likes me, by the way.”

“I think my dad was worried.” Sen folded her arms once more.

“Does he know that you only work in the shop because you think he needs your help?”

“He _does_ need my help,” she snapped. “I’m happy doing what I do.”

Bumi touched his nose with his free hand and was happy to find it had stopped bleeding. “What about becoming a Kyoshi warrior like you wanted?”

Sen’s eyes scanned his face. “I’m not...I’m not like you. What I want is to be there for my family. That’s what makes me happy. Bumi...” She paused and shook her head slightly. “What are you doing here?”

“Like I said, I wanted to see you. To apologize.”

“Why? Why now?”

Bumi looked down, absentmindedly folding the cloth in his hands. “I had a rough day. And, I don’t know. I thought you had understood.”

Sen’s mouth seemed to twitch. “I _do_ understand, Bumi. But I’m just...I’m not sure what you’re expecting.”

“Who said I was expecting anything?” he asked, hurt. _She’s right though_.

“I just mean—I don’t know. I don’t mind talking to you about this stuff."  Sen unfolded her arms and reached out, cupping one of his cheeks with her hand. “But you—you have a lot going on. You need to get your turtle ducks in a row.” She withdrew her arm. “Until then, I’m happy to your friend.”

Bumi felt a lump rising in his throat. “Well good. You may be the only one I have.”

By the time he got back to the docks, Bumi was an hour and a half late. The three acolytes were slumped on the deck of the boat. Jamyang was the first to spot him. She jumped up. “Where have you been?”

“Lab,” Bumi said, as naturally as he could. The other two acolytes rose to their feet as well.

Palden gave him a suspicious look. “That was cancelled. Avatar Aang said.”

“No, I had just finished my assignment. I still needed to go there to ask my professor a question for my upcoming exam.” He looked at them, keeping his expression blank. _I hope there’s no blood on my shirt_. “I told you on the way over.”

“I don’t remember that,” Palden insisted.

Bumi shrugged. “Well, where else would I have been?”

It seemed to be a question the acolytes didn’t want to answer. Jamyang gave the order, and before long, they were sailing back to Air Temple Island. As soon as they were docked, Bumi jumped out of the boat, determined to slip into the boy’s dormitory before his mother spotted him. He knew Katara would only need to take one look at him to realize something was wrong.

 _I can just clean myself up and hope there will be distractions at dinner tonight_. On his way up the path, he saw his brother’s outline in the gazebo. Bumi was almost tempted to go to him, but he knew better than to interrupt Tenzin’s meditation. It was hard enough to get him to relax.

Once inside the dormitory, Bumi made for the bathroom. He looked into the mirror above the sink, and was happy to see that there was no dried blood visible on his face. However, the skin underneath his left eye was already darkening. He wondered if Kya would be willing to look at it, but her “ _heal yourself next time_ ” still stuck in his memory, a bitter reminder of their fight.

 _No_. The longer Bumi stared at himself, the less he seemed to recognize. _I need to get my turtle ducks in a row_. And he had to do it on his own.


	5. The Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bumi attends a festival that causes him to consider his options.

The first light of the cool, autumn sunrise crept through the window, bathing the room in an orange glow. Bumi had left his shudders open again, not that it mattered; he had already been up for an hour.

Sleep did not come easily to Bumi these days. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept past dawn, and too often it felt as though it had taken half the night just to lose consciousness in the first place. It left him exhausted during the days, yet somehow energized at night.

He rolled over, putting his back was towards the window. Bumi wouldn’t be able to doze off again, he knew, but he was not about to face the day just yet. If he left his room now, only a handful of acolytes would be awake, along with Tenzin and his father, who would be meditating in the gazebo. If they spotted him, they’d ask him to join. If they didn’t, there’d be nothing to do. The White Lotus sentry Xai Bau would have only just gotten his boat in the water, setting sail for the mainland where he would buy a short stack of newspapers. It would take him at least three quarters of an hour to return. The acolytes awake would be practicing their deep breathing for the same amount of time before any one of them would think to set water on the stove for breakfast. By the time food would be produced, Aang and Tenzin would be finished meditating.

Rising early meant eating with only them. Bumi could see no profit in it. Either way he would have to wait until ten for his morning training session. Unless it was the weekend. Bumi hadn’t the slightest idea. The days seemed to blend together to him. If it hadn’t been for the slow healing of his black eye, he might not have been sure that any time was passing at all. Yet the now-barely visible patch of greenish-yellow skin beneath his eye had grounded him for the past few weeks. Another few days, it would be gone.

Somehow Bumi had managed to avoid admonishment for it. He decided to explain to his parents what had happened at the same time he told them that he would be dropping out of school to pursue swordfighting. He had hoped that his new plan would distract from the fact that he gave the air acolytes the slip the day he received the punch. It seemed to have worked too well, however. Both his parents sat, stony-faced through his planned speech and when he had finished talking, barely said anything at all. “If that’s what you want to do, we’ll support you,” Katara had said. Aang had nodded along, but offered little more himself than, “I’ll see about getting you a master that can come here to train you. It’s important to have a master.”

After that, the discussion had ended. Aang would ask about how his swordfighting was progressing at meals, and Katara would often watch some of his practice sessions with a painted smile on her face. But Bumi could see the disappointment in their eyes.

In truth, they had reason to be disappointed. His training had not been going particularly well. Master Jian only offered words of encouragement, but Bumi knew he wasn’t focusing the way he should. Too often he would fail a set because he didn’t read Jian’s body language correctly, or because he forgot to pay attention to the eyes. More often than not, he would end the session feeling as though he was regressing.

Perhaps his biggest failure, though, had been his disastrous attempt at landscaping the past weekend. His aunt had taken him north, to a hill that overlooked a quiet village. Yet when Suki spun him back around and gave him a paintbrush, he may as well had just seen the Great Divide, for all he had taken in. For a moment, Bumi had considered telling her that he was distracted. Yet instead, he settled for painting a lewd picture. Suki had the decency to laugh, but they returned to Air Temple Island shortly after.

Bumi rolled over again. The sun was higher in the sky now; another hour might have passed, though he couldn’t be sure. It still meant thirty more minutes before Kya would wake up. Whether she had sensed something was amiss or simply didn’t care anymore, his sister had decided to stop being mad at him, at least from what he could tell. When he had told her about dropping out of school, she had seemed more confused than anything else, but quickly transitioned to jokes. “Well, as long as there’s no swordfighting gurus to memorize.”

It was how Kya seemed to approach every conversation with him. She’d always have some wise-crack about the happenings of the island, or a sarcastic remark about the acolytes. Bumi was happy for it, and usually responded with a joke of his own. Yet too often he saw her wearing their mother’s fixed smile as well.

To Bumi’s surprise, Tenzin had proven to be the family member that was the easiest to be around. When Bumi had told him about his new plan, his little brother’s eyes grew wide. “You’re going to be a great warrior!” he had exclaimed, as only a child of eleven could. But how many years would that admiration last?

A voice sounded outside his window...two acolytes speaking in excited voices about their morning off. _So, it is the weekend_ , he thought to himself. The sun was now beginning to heat up the room. _Did I fall back asleep_? Bumi hardly remembered shutting his eyes. He threw the covers off and lay staring the ceiling, as he tried to muster the energy to leave his bed. At last he got up and dressed and dragged himself out the door.

It was a crisp, clear morning without a cloud in the sky. _It would be the perfect day to try landscaping again_ , he thought, making his way towards the Dining Hall. He doubted his parents would have the time, but one of the White Lotus guards might be willing to take him.

He walked into the hall to find it almost entirely empty. Only two tables were occupied: one in the corner with two older acolytes hunched over a scroll, and the center table, where Katara and Tenzin sat. Dutifully, Bumi approached them.

His mother greeted him with a careworn smile, but his brother nearly bounced out of his seat. “Bumi!” he exclaimed. “There’s a Fire Days festival in the Arts District today and Mom said you could be the one to take us!”

“What’s this now?” he asked, taking his own seat. “I’m doing what?”

Tenzin’s smile faltered, but Katara answered for him. “It’s a festival put on by the Fire Nation Cultural Center,” she explained, pouring tea into a cup. She slid the mug towards Bumi. “I thought you might have fun.”

“And Lin and Su are coming too,” Tenzin added.

“So you want me to babysit?” Bumi said.

“To keep an eye on them,” Katara insisted. “But only if you want to go.”

Tenzin looked up expectantly. “There’s going to be a puppet show and carnival stalls and I think after sunset there will be firew—” He stopped talking and flushed slightly.

Bumi felt an odd lump rise in his throat. “Sounds fun then,” he said gruffly. “Sure, I’ll take you.” He took a sip of tea.

His brother’s grin was almost worth the hassle. “Really?! Mom, may I be excused? I want to practice my new air scooter before Lin gets here.”

 “Of course, just be careful,” she said.

Tenzin nodded and leapt up from his seat. “Thanks Bumi,” he said, before turning to rush from the hall.

Bumi reached for a plate in the center of the table where three hard boiled eggs sat. He began to peel one. “A _new_ air scooter?” he asked.

“It’s like a wheel that he rides on the inside instead of the sphere that he sits on top of.”

“Does that mean he’s ready for his tattoos?”

His mother frowned slightly. “Your father says it’s more of a variation on a technique than a new one, but I think he’s considering it. You should watch him though; Kya’s already tried to mimic it with water.”

Bumi kept his eyes glued to his egg. “Is she still asleep?”

“Of course not; it’s already past ten,” Katara said. “She volunteered to help Seppa pick the pear tree.” She paused, and Bumi could feel her gaze. “Three kids can be overwhelming. Maybe she should go to the festival too. Give you a hand.”

“What, you think I can’t be trusted?” He ate half the egg in one bite, though he was beginning to feel nauseous.

“No, of course not. I just thought you might like the company.” When Bumi didn’t answer, she continued. “You don’t have to today if don’t want to. I can find someone.”

“I already said I’d go, didn’t I?”

The two acolytes got up. Katara waited for them to leave he hall before placing her hand on the table, reaching towards her son. “Bumi...you seem on edge lately. Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing’s bothering me. I just overslept today, that’s all.” He popped the rest of the egg into his mouth, hoping that would be the end of it.

Katara withdrew her hand and put it on her lap. “Oh. Okay.”

Her sadness somehow filled Bumi with the urge to shout. Instead he asked, “So where’s Dad?”

“He’s meeting with a chieftain from the Southern Water Tribe. Something about trade agreements.” She sighed. “We really need to visit there soon. It’s been too long. Do you think Master Jian would object to you taking a couple of weeks off?

Bumi gave a noncommittal shrug. “ _You’re_ okay with that?”

“Everyone deserves a break from time to time.”

It took a moment for the words to hit him. Then, Bumi began laughing. Katara looked at him, startled, but there was no controlling it. There were tears in his eyes by the time an acolyte came in to let Katara know Toph and her girls had arrived. As she got up to leave, she circled the table and put a hand on his shoulder. “Take your time to collect yourself,” she said, “but we should talk about this later.”

It was another good hour before they set out for the festival. When Kya was told she was going, she had made a face, but quickly forced it into a smirk in Bumi’s direction. “Who knows, might be fun,” she had said with a shrug.

Yet that hope had died within five minutes of being on the bison’s back. Bumi had been thankful to be the one steering, sitting away from the saddle, because the entirety of the ride seemed to be taken up by Lin and Suyin’s quarrels. Su had been bragging how much she loved flaming fire flakes, until Lin cut in with, “No you don’t! You ate a small pinch once and coughed for over an hour.”

“I do too!” Su had answered. “And I’m going to eat _all_ the fire flakes at the festival.” At that, Lin had called her a liar, which then quickly led to a shouting match. By the time they reached the Arts District, Tenzin was staring uncomfortably at his hands, Lin was scowling with arms folded, and Kya was failing to quiet Su.

Fortunately, the sight of the festival soon provided enough of a distraction. The entire district seemed to be filled with tents: some selling food, some offering games or crafts. Drummers lined the main street, beating out a rhythm for the lion dance, and at the end of the lane stood a giant observation wheel. Tenzin and Lin’s eyes grew wide when they saw it, and Suyin immediately began jumping up and down, yelling, “Can we go on it? Can we?!”

“Sure, why not?” Bumi answered jovially.

The first stall they came to sold festival masks. He bought three for Tenzin, Lin, and Suyin with the money his mother had given them.

“What, we don’t get to wear them?” Kya asked, as the children donned theirs.

“Isn’t babysitting humiliating enough?” he said quietly.

She lightly smacked his shoulder. “Lighten up, will you? Besides, I was kidding.”

Bumi was about respond when Tenzin interrupted, needing help tying his mask. Kya kneeled down to fix it for him. Suyin stamped her foot impatiently. “Can we go already?”

 _Just make the most of it_. Bumi scooped Su up and swung her onto his shoulders, as he had often done with Tenzin when they were younger.  She squealed happily as he took off running. “Come on guys,” he called, “can’t you keep up?”

He heard Kya call his name in exasperation, but when he turned to look back, he saw Tenzin, Lin, and Kya all racing through the crowd. Even through the masks, he could tell Tenzin and Lin were laughing.

The good mood had stayed as they boarded the observation wheel. Yet once their cab reached the very top, Suyin thought it would be funny to try and open the door. It was a good thing she wasn’t as skilled at metalbending as she boasted, but after that, Kya was forced to hold her on her lap.

Once they were off the wheel, Kya and Bumi let the kids lead the way down the packed streets. They would stop every so often at a stall to play a game, or watch a firebending demonstration. Tenzin won himself a play-sword at the bottle toss, but when Suyin and Lin both failed it, he insisted on playing again until he won them swords as well. They stuck them through their belts and raced happily to the next game.

Though Tenzin, Lin, and Suyin didn’t cause any trouble, Bumi and Kya had their hands full keeping track of them. When Tenzin wanted, he could move faster than any of them, and he would often disappear into the crowd as he’d try and make his way to another stall. Lin would usually run after him, but Kya made sure to keep a grip on Suyin, who thanks to her size, could get lost easily.

Bumi didn’t realize how worn out he was from the experience until after they walked away from an Agni Kai demonstration. They had only made it twenty feet from the stage when Lin stopped to tell them she was hungry.

“Me too!” Suyin said, pushing her mask onto the top of her head. “But that puppet show is about to start.” She pointed further down the street, where a group of smaller children sat.

“That looks like it might be interesting,” Tenzin said, giving Lin a sideways glance.

Kya knelt down and put an arm on Lin’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you what, how about if you guys watch the puppet show, and Bumi and I will go and get food.”

“Yeah,” Bumi agreed. “With these lines it will probably take a while anyway.”

Lin nodded, and they all walked towards the show’s stage. Kya and Bumi made sure they were situated and instructed them not to move. When Kya tried to get Lin to hold Su’s hand, she refused, so Tenzin had to instead.

Once they were settled, Bumi and Kya extracted themselves and headed back to the street. Though there were smaller stalls selling flaming fire flakes and mochi, the main food tent was back towards the observation wheel. They made their way through the crowd once more. Without the worry of babysitting, Bumi was able to drink in the scene around him. He noticed there were few people his age; the festival was mostly full of families. For some reason, he found that calming. The last thing he wanted was to run into one of his former schoolmates.

The food tent took up nearly a quarter of a block, though somehow, it was still too small to contain the long line stretching out of it. Bumi and Kya made their way to the end. “It seems to be moving, at least,” she offered.

Bumi squinted to read the signs that hung in the tent’s rear. “The fried crab or komodo sausages sound good,” he said.

“Yeah, except we don’t eat those. Or at least, Tenzin doesn’t,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Well then Fire Nation food probably isn’t best. I think that sign says ‘vegetable dumplings.’” He pointed. “Did Tenzin even say if he was hungry?”

“It was just the girls, but I’m sure he is too.” They shuffled forward in line.

“Leave it to our brother not to speak up until he’s half-starved.”

Kya put a hand on her hip. “You know...you’re similar in that way.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been eyeing those sizzle-crisps since we stepped in line.”

“I don’t mean about food, Bumi. I mean, you try to hide when something’s wrong.”

Bumi shot her a look. “I don’t do that.”

“When you were practically bleeding to death you thought you could pretend to be a pair of shoes!”

“Well I wasn’t exactly myself that night,” he said, looking back towards the signs. _I was only hiding so they wouldn’t find out about the cactus juice_.

She grabbed his forearm. “It’s not just that, Bumi. It’s...now. Since you’ve dropped out of school. Are you happy? Training to be a warrior I mean?”

He suddenly found himself fighting tears. “I...I don’t know. But what else is there for me? Everything else I’ve tried, I’ve failed at. At least I know I can swordfight.” He tried to look away.

Kya wasn’t fooled. For a moment it seemed like she was going to speak, but instead she pulled him into a hug. When they broke apart, she said, “There’s a lot you can do, Bumi. Don’t let Mom and Dad’s expectations get to you. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said, forcing a smile. _At least she knows what’s expected of her_ , he thought. Still, it was comforting in its own way.

Soon, they found themselves in the front of the line, where they ordered dumplings, anpan, fire gummies, sugared nuts, and cookies. “This is going to make Su a nightmare,” Kya joked. They divvied up the containers and worked their way back once more.

Vendors called to them as they passed. A pair of lion dancers nearly barreled into them, though Bumi managed to pull Kya out of the way in time, still balancing the food in one arm.

“You have some good reflexes there,” a booming voice called out.

Bumi looked around. In between two tents stood a pair of tall, wooden posts with a metal bar at the top running between them. A man no more than thirty hung off the bar with one hand. He was lazily pulling himself up and down, as if bored by the proceedings. “Me?” Bumi asked him.

“Who else?” He let go of the bar and landed on his feet with surprising delicacy. “We could use that in the United Forces. Do you have what it takes?”

“Uh…” Bumi looked at his sister.

She raised an eyebrow. “What does it take, exactly?”

“Twenty chin-ups gets you information, for starters.”

Kya rolled her eyes. “We have our brother waiting for us.”

“Maybe some other time,” Bumi agreed.

“You’d rather run food delivery than keep the world safe; that’s fine,” the man said with a half-hearted shrug. “Or maybe it’s because you know you can’t do it.”

Bumi glared. “I can do twenty chin-ups in my sleep,” he said.

“Bumi...” Kya started to protest.

“Come on, Sis, this won’t take long.”

“That’s the spirit!” the man said with a grin. “Here, set your food down on this table.”

Bumi did as he was told and then walked over to the posts. _At least my training is good for something_. He hopped up, counted to twenty, and jumped down, forcing his face to stay impassive. If he looked proud of himself, the man would win.

Kya was smirking, but the man was beaming. “You really _can_ do that in your sleep, can’t you! You’d fly through boot camp!” He rushed over to the table. Next to Bumi’s food sat a small stack of brochures. He thrust one at Bumi. “Stop by one of our recruiting offices any time. Tell them Takeo sent you.”

“Oh, uh...I might,” Bumi said, stuffing the brochure into his jacket.

“You better,” Takeo said. “We’re the front line of defense for the new nation. The world needs people like you, young man.”

“Bumi, we _need_ to get back to Tenzin,” Kya said impatiently. He nodded at her and gathered his food up again.

Once they were a good few yards from Takeo, he looked towards his sister. “So that was fun,” he said, smiling. “Remember today when I’m a big hero.” _I wonder if their recruiting offices will be open tomorrow_.

“Right, in the army, can you imagine? All those rules—all those people telling you what to do? And that guy really thought he could lecture _us_ on keeping the world safe? I wonder what would have happened if we had told him we’re the Avatar’s kids.”

Bumi felt his enthusiasm drain out of him. He forced a laugh. “He probably would have given us all his brochures.”

The puppet show had concluded by the time they got back, but Tenzin, Lin, and Suyin were still sitting dutifully in their seats. Bumi and Kya handed out the food, which they ate by the now-empty stage. Aang had been a puppet in the show, Tenzin told them. He and Lin didn’t think the performer did a very good imitation, but Suyin insisted that it sounded just like the Avatar. They had also overheard other kids talking about a carousel that was located down another street, so once everyone was finished eating, the five of them braved the crowds to its location.

The sun was low in the sky by the time they reached it, and after the kids had taken their turns on the wooden ostrich horses, it had nearly set. Dusk was greeted with a firework display. It was one of the better shows Bumi had seen, but after a good half-hour with no signs of it slowing, he and Kya ushered Tenzin, Lin, and Suyin away from the festival grounds and back towards to the bison. On the way home, everyone in the saddle shared what was left of the fire gummies and tried to decide on their favorite part of the day. Bumi sat alone on the bison’s head, shivering against the wind and barely taking in a word.

They were greeted by a pair of White Lotus sentries, who told them that Aang and Katara were in the Avatar’s study. When the five of them walked in, Katara jumped up from her chair to hug them all in turn. Aang remained behind his desk, but beamed in their direction. “Katara, look at Su’s mask,” he said, pointing to the top of the five year-old’s head. “That looks just like the one you wore at the first festival after the war.”

“It does,” she agreed. “Bumi, Kya, you didn’t want masks for yourselves?”

Before either could answer, Su cut in. “We have swords, too!” she explained, drawing the toy from her belt.

“Tenzin won them for us,” Lin said, drawing out her own for Katara to inspect. Tenzin gave an embarrassed smile and looked at his dad.

Aang simply laughed. “It looks like you’re all ready to be warriors then, just like Bumi.”

“No, Bumi’s going to be an all-important soldier,” Kya said with a wry smile. “A recruiter was practically falling over him.”

“A recruiter?” Katara asked. She looked from Kya to Bumi.

He shrugged. “For the United Forces,” he answered, his head suddenly hurting. “He said I couldn’t do twenty chin-ups, so I showed him.”

“Your training’s paying off,” his mother said with a smile.

Aang, however, furrowed his brow. “They were recruiting at the Fire Days festival?”

“That’s what it seemed like.” Bumi reached into his jacket and drew out the brochure, which he placed on his father’s desk. He sank into an empty chair as his parents exchanged a look.

Suyin, likely bored by the proceedings, whacked her sword against Tenzin’s leg with all her might. “Hey!” he said, though he was smiling. He drew his own sword as if to duel until Katara stepped in between them.

“If you want to play, do it outside,” she said. “In fact, your mother’s going to be here soon. Why don’t we all wait for her out there?” She put a hand on Tenzin’s back and steered the three children out the door.

Kya made to follow them. “I’m going to see—if the acolytes need any help with anything.”

“That’s very nice of you, Kya,” Aang said beaming.

As she left, Bumi sat staring at his hands, wracking his brains for an excuse of his own. His father sighed and awkwardly poked at a scroll on his desk, before reaching for the brochure again. “So...” he said slowly, “the army, huh?” He flipped it open.

“What do you think?” Despite his sister’s jokes, there had been something strangely appealing about it to Bumi.

Aang shook his head sadly. “Sometimes I still can’t believe there’s a standing army for the United Republic. Zuko and Sokka were insistent, but it goes against everything the monks ever taught me. They always said direct combat should be a last resort. Then again...” he paused, fingering the brochure. “...if they hadn’t felt that way, there might be more than two airbenders in the world.”

Bumi’s mouth felt dry. “So, you wouldn’t want me to join, then.”

His father’s eyes flicked up from his desk. “Join the United Forces? Oh...I guess, if that’s what you want. But I thought you were trying to join the White Lotus?

“What? No. Where did you hear that?” Bumi asked, bemused.

“I—I don’t know. Your uncle maybe? I think I just thought, with you training to be a warrior and all, that it’s what you wanted.”

“Well it’s not." He folded his arms. “Is that what you had hoped for me? Sorry, Dad, but I’m no Tenzin.” 

“Bumi, that’s a good thing. I’m happy you’re free to follow your heart. Your brother...I put too much on him,” Aang said solemnly. “Since he could walk, Tenzin’s understood that one day he’ll need to lead the Air Nation. And with my duties as the Avatar, that day’s going to be sooner than is fair.”

“Fair?” The word had a sour taste on Bumi’s tongue. “Don’t tell me what’s ‘fair.’”

“What are you talking about?”

“How can I ‘follow my heart’ when everything I try ends up disappointing you?” he blurted, louder than he had intended.

“You don’t disappoint me.” Aang sounded taken aback.

“No? You haven’t always secretly wanted me to be an acolyte?”

“Only if that’s what you wanted. Bumi, I’ve only ever tried to encourage you to do what makes you happy.”

“You haven’t encouraged me at all!” The words came tumbling out of his mouth. “That’s the problem, you don’t say anything! Why didn’t you care that I dropped out of school? Why don’t you care whether I join the army? Why don’t you care?” Tears ran down his cheeks and neck.

“Of course I care,” Aang said, his voice breaking. “Do you really doubt that?”

“Then why won’t you tell me what you want, Dad? Just _tell_ me!” He wiped angrily at his eyes.

“I can’t do that. I can’t tell you what to do, no more than I could hog monkey-tie you, throw you into a potato sack, and drag you off to do my bidding. You will never be at peace unless you make these decisions for yourself.” He paused and scanned his son’s face. “I love you, Bumi. I always will. But I can’t tell you what to do. You have to be the one to choose your own path.”

“What do you know about choosing?” Bumi spat. “All you’ve ever done is run away your whole life. You ran from being the Avatar, you ran from the Fire Lord, you ran from Yakone. If it weren’t for Mom, you’d still be in that iceberg!”

Aang lowered his head and for a long moment, said nothing. When he looked back up, his face was so tired and gaunt that for half a second, Bumi was worried he might collapse. At last, he spoke. “Tell me, Son. Do you truly believe you’re any different?”

The words seemed to hang in the air. Bumi looked down at the desk, his anger, gone in an instant.

“You’re—you’re right. I need to figure this out.”

“I’m not saying that you’ve done anything wrong.”

“No.” He shook his head. “No, I’m...I shouldn’t have...”

“Bumi,” Aang said, his face full of concern. “I _do_ understand. You’re worried that—”

Bumi rose, cutting his father off. “It’s fine. You’re right, I have to choose. Please, I’m really tired from today. I’m going to go rest.”

“Okay,” his father said, sounding stricken. “You should try to meditate...clear your mind. It will help.”

“Sure, Dad.” With that, Bumi raced out of the room.

Once in his own bedroom, he paced the floor. He knew meditation was the last thing he would be able to do. Instead, he pulled an atlas off of his shelf, crossed the room, and plopped down on the floor with it, his back leaning against his bedframe. For some reason, Bumi had always found maps relaxing. Yet it did little to calm him now, his father’s words still echoing in his head.

That was how he spent the evening: hunched over an atlas, pretending to read. Somehow, the hours passed. When bedtime finally rolled around, his head was pounding. He felt as though he needed to scream, but instead, forced himself to change and climb into his bed.

If sleep had been difficult for the past month, it was an impossibility now. Bumi thrashed around, feeling as though his sheets were suffocating him. After a good couple of hours of that, he finally wrenched them off and climbed back out of bed. He thought about sneaking to the stables, stealing a bison, and flying to the city, but he quickly realized he would have nowhere to go. He couldn’t impose himself on Sen again. And even if he managed to find an off-campus party to attend, the last thing he wanted was to see his former friends.

Instead, his feet carried him down the hall, to his father’s now-empty office. Bumi had never felt entirely comfortable in it; the airbender relics along the walls and shelves sat in contemptuous array, a reminder of the life he didn’t have. He found what he was looking for still sitting on Aang’s desk. The United Forces brochure was far from remarkable. Though phrases like “BE A HERO” and “TRAVEL THE WORLD” appeared in bold lettering, there were barely any specifics given. Just generic language about “learning discipline and honor.”

Bumi took it with him back to his room, almost more frustrated than he had been before getting up. He sat down on the foot of his bed and put his head in his hands. “Get it together, Bumi,” he said in a low voice. When he picked his head up again, he felt as though he might be sick. He looked to where he had dropped the brochure on his covers. He knew there was no good reason for it, but there was still something alluring about the United Forces. His sister might be scornful, and his mom would be confused, but it would be a definitive choice.

“My choice,” he said, suddenly standing. He crossed to the closet and drew out a trunk, which he then dragged to his dresser. He feverishly began to throw his clothing inside. When the trunk was full, Bumi stepped back and considered it. He had a path...now all that was left was to see if he liked it.


End file.
